Yet another day in the park

On Sat. Jan. 30, Maine’s state parks brings its Take It Outside Winter Family Fun Day to Mt. Blue State Park, in Weld.

Event runs 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. and includes: cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, ice skating, and sledding, with equipment provided for those in need (but sleds are few, so best to bring your own if you want to rip down Center Hill Picnic Area’s slope). And sleigh rides, and guided walks, and winter programs.

Never skied or snowshoed? Instruction, provided by folks from the Maine Winter Sports Center and Northern Lights, Hearth & Sports will be available. Regional Park Manager Mike Leighton will provide ice skating lessons several times a day. The rink, near the parking lot, is renowned for tis views.

Once you’ve mastered those snowshoes (as a friend says, it’s pretty easy: put your left foot forward, now your right foot; you got it, you’re snowshoeing), Park Manager Andy Hutchinson of Wolfe’s Neck Woods State Park, an expert naturalist, will offer two interpretative snowshoe walks on “Nature in Winter.”

Rex Turner, Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands outdoor recreation planner, will demonstrate winter camping skills. The Maine Warden Service also will present different aspects of winter rescues, focusing on how to stay out of trouble in the Maine woods in the winter time.

As with all winter state park events, lunch is included in the admission fee, making the event a great family value.  Hot food will be available from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., with a menu comprising hamburgers, chili, corn chowder, hot dogs, cookies, brownies, hot chocolate, and coffee. A bonfire also will help keep all those active people warm.

Admission is a very reasonable $1.50 ages 12-64, everyone else is free, and remember, that fee includes everything, even lunch.

Winter wake-up in Bethel

Tucked in the folds of western Maine’s snowy White Mountains, Bethel is idyllic anytime—think ivy-covered prep school, historical homes, white steepled churches, and country inns—but in winter, it’s an especially cozy retreat. Normally rather sleepy, it wakes from hibernation for WinterFest, Jan. 23-31.

This year’s events and activities include:

• guided snowshoe tours at the Bethel Nordic Ski Center at the Bethel Inn Resort,

• a snowmobile uphill climb at Mt. Abram,

• Old-Timers Nordic Ski Race at Carter’s XC Ski Center,

• a rail jam-competition on Bethel’s Lower Main Street,

• An 80’ by 195’ outdoor ice skating rink, a 90 square foot snow maze, and a snow sculpture playground, all free.

• hot-air balloon ascents and a moon glow,

• snow sculptures and ice carvings,

• snow groomer rides and horse-drawn sleigh rides,

• a full-moon Nordic relay, full-moon snowshoe hike, and biathlon clinic (skiing and shooting) at the Bethel Nordic Ski Center.

• all sorts of competitions, including a double-hike-and-ski marathon..

Complementing the event is The Bethel Historical Society’s exhibit, “Celebrating the Skiing Heritage of the Bethel Area,” which will be open with free admission.  The exhibit has photos, artifacts, and ski equipment from the early years of Mt. Abram Ski Area and Sunday River Ski Resort.

And of course, both Sunday River and Mount Abram have all kinds of happenings, too.

The Bethel Area Chamber of Commerce has info on local lodgings with special WinterFest packages and just about everything else.

(Hey, and trust me on this, don’t miss the Orange Trailer BBQ joint or the cookies at Cafe DiCocoa).