The annual Family Day Fire and Ice Festival in Lacombe Lake Park is an opportunity to put a little heat into the cold winter months.
It will run this Family Day on Feb. 15, organized once again by the St. Albert firefighters’ union, which took over several years ago. It’s a job organizer Bryan Mroz said the firefighters are happy to take on.
“The community gives us so much, and this is our chance to give back to the community,” he said. “It’s very important for our department to be able to give back.”
And give back they will, with four hours of free activities for the whole family from noon to 4 p.m. – and both the fire and ice elements of the festival will be represented in many different ways.
For the fire aspect, the firefighters themselves will be on site. On-duty members will bring the trucks over to the park so everyone can get a tour, meet the members and get a good look at the equipment they’re working with.
A firefighter-themed obstacle course is also planned, along with a fire hose tug-of-war and, as usual, a large campfire for people to warm themselves. As of Tuesday, however, the Environment Canada weather forecast is calling for a high of 3 C on Family Day, so the weather may not be the most important.
“We’ve had excellent weather every year so far, and it looks like we’re going to have excellent weather again,” Mroz said. “We expect crowds between 3,000 and 4,000 people throughout the day.”
Added to what the firefighters themselves can offer, there will be fire artists on site giving performances at 2 p.m. and 3 p.m.
“They do the fire dancing and juggling, basically what you would expect from a fire artist,” he explained.
As with any outdoor Alberta festival taking place in mid-February, the ice component will also be well represented.
There will be a sleigh ride offered to take people around the site, and on the lake itself people will have the opportunity to strap on some skates and play some shinny against the firefighters’ pond hockey team.
There will also be an ice carver on site, who will have some pre-made pieces and will also be doing a live demonstration.
While the firefighters will be collecting donations for muscular dystrophy – their charity of choice and the focus of their current month-long fundraising drive – Mroz emphasized nobody should feel obliged to throw anything into the boot on their way in.
“This isn’t about the fundraising, this is about everybody having a good time,” he said. “It’s free and fun, so everybody can come out.”
Parking near the site will be very limited, so people are encouraged to use the St. Albert Transit Park and Ride service, which will depart every 10 minutes from St. Albert Centre.
