NORWAY — Mark your calendars for Saturday, February 18 as the Western Foothills Land Trust kicks off Winter Carnival week with the 11th Annual Norway Snowshoe Festival. Including a variety of family-oriented races and activities, the day culminates with a contra dance at the Norway Grange Hall that night. Celebrating Norway’s history as the Snowshoe Town of America, the festival is a welcoming event for participants and spectators alike.

Held at Roberts Farm Preserve, 58 Roberts Road, activities begin at 10 a.m. with 2k, 5k, and 10k snowshoe races with prizes for top women’s, men’s, and youth competitors. All registrants will be eligible to win one of six pairs of snowshoes to be raffled off. Registration for the race is $5/10 and $10/15 onsite and can be found at www.wfltmaine.org/programs. The festival program also includes less rigorous activities like snoga (yoga on snowshoes) with Kat Larsen, family games on snowshoes (three legged race, 100 yd dash, musical chairs, family pulk pull), team tug-o-war, corn toss biathlon, a snowshoe fashion show, and a guided snowshoe to cocoa served at the Preserve’s iconic view across Norway Lake. All activities are on snowshoes; snowshoes are available for use on site.

Norway Brewing Company will be serving light snacks at the fire pit and Lucky Cat Food Truck will be onsite serving up Hong Kong bubble waffles and warm drinks.

The Norway Historical Society will be open from 9-2 on February 18, featuring a new exhibit “Norway Maine: Snowshoe Town of America” showcasing the Society’s collection of historic snowshoes and photographs. But that’s not all. After a day outdoors, the festival continues with a contra dance 6-8 p.m., held at the Norway Grange, 15 Whitman Street, featuring the musical talents of Bill Olson and Pam Weeks. The suggested donation at the door is $10 per person and $25 per family.

Recognized in 2012 by the Maine Downtown Center as a uniquely Maine festival, the Snowshoe Festival returns for its eleventh year to celebrate Norway’s rich cultural heritage of the arts (as in music), and crafts (as in snowshoe making). Norway, once self-proclaimed as “The Snowshoe Town of America” was home to four major snowshoe industries between 1850 and 1980: Snowcraft, Tubbs, H.H. Hosmer, and Mellie Dunham. Mellie was not only the first commercial snowshoe maker in town, outfitting Admiral Peary’s expedition to the North Pole, he was also a renowned fiddler who was commissioned by Henry Ford to play traditional fiddle music across the country. In honor of Mellie’s talents, the Norway Snowshoe Festival always involves a contra dance in addition to athletic and family-related outdoor snowshoe events.

This year’s festival sponsors include: First Light Communications, True North Adventureware, Fiber & Vine, Norway Brewing Company, Oxbow Beer Garden, Tru Strength Athletics, Dolce Amici, and Norway Downtown. The full schedule of events can be found at www.wfltmaine.org/snowshoe-festival. For more information, or to volunteer for the festival, email info@wfltmaine.org.

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