If riding a zipline isn’t enough to put a smile on your face, Ness Lake Bible Camp has much more in store for visitors who show up for a free day of activities on the Family Day holiday next Monday.
How about a floating ice carousel?
Bible Camp maintenance workers William Teichroeb and Anthony Gunther spent a morning revving up their chainsaws to cut out a circular chunk of ice 50 feet in diameter on the lake and they’ve attached a boat motor to get it to spin in the lake like a carousel while people stand on it.
It was a popular addition to the list of attractions when it made its Family Day debut last year at the bible camp, located 36 kilometres northwest of the city on the northeast shore of Ness Lake.
“This is only the second time we’ve had it and last year, with many people unsure because of the pandemic, not many people got to experience it and we’re excited to run it again this year, it’s just so cool,” said Ness Lake Bible Camp program director Dayna Penson.
The free fun starts at 10 a.m. and continues to 4 p.m. on Monday.
For the first time in three years at the Family Day event, the NLBC climbing wall and gym will be open for visitors. There are also building blocks and Lego to play with in the gym. There’s a colouring contest, snow colouring activities and ice fishing available from huts set up around holes cut into the lake ice.
All visitors will be served a free chili-and-bun hot lunch from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. and throughout the day there will be firepits for roasting hot hogs, making bannock and marshmallow smores.
Indoor and outdoor activities will keep everybody entertained. Last year, during the pandemic, the indoor stuff wasn’t allowed, with COVID restrictions on crowd gatherings in effect.
“We still had 500 people,” said Penson. “2020 was before the pandemic and we had over 900 people, it was awesome.”
NLBC tries to host one event per month during the cold-weather months to keep people entertained. It last hosted a gathering on New Year’s Day, the annual Polar Bear Dip into the lake. The society that runs the bible camp rents out its hall space and the climbing wall
“People don’t realize, because we’re a children’s summer camp, that we’re doing stuff all year, so it’s nice to remind people we are open,” added Penson.
NLBC is hosting a spring break camp, March 13-17.
For more information on the Family Day activities, go to the website.
