History writer Jason Marcon looks at Sudbury’s history of winter carnivals, from the very first celebration of winter in 1947 to the popular Snowflake Festivals of the 1980s and 1990s
Living in Northern Ontario, it can be said that we reside in a winter-oriented area that gives us the benefit of partaking in many various outdoorsy and cold-weather-centric hobbies.
In 1947, fresh off the trials and tribulations of the Second World War, the Chamber of Commerce for the City of Sudbury was ready to celebrate winter with a carnival set to take place in the downtown core. At the end of that carnival week, a mammoth parade wound its way through the city streets with some 70 floats entered, representing a wide range of businesses and groups, including Robin Hood Flour, Levine's, the Kiwanis Club, North American Life, and the New Empire Cab. The City of Sudbury float, featured the heraldic emblem, replicas of the arches that flanked the provincial highway entrances at the time , and local business statistics.
As for the ski jumping events, it was estimated at the time that 20,000 spectators came out to witness the jumping events of the Ontario ski championships, staged near the current Adanac Ski Hill. At the original F.W. Woolworth location, also on Durham Street, a trapper’s cabin display was constructed in the main showcase window. The two old trappers in the Woolworth cabin excited the admiration and envy of carnival celebrants. Day after day, they sat in their cozy little shack, “chatting” over a bottle of the finest drink they could get their hands on. They even had a different bottle every day, always empty, but they showed no ill effects .
That inaugural festival, which was designed to boost the image of the city, captured residents in a magical grip they would not be shaken from for many winters to come. This first year boasted 20 different events around the shores of Ramsey Lake, including hockey games, hot air balloon rides, horseback rides, sliding hills and snow sculptures.
The 1987 festival’s signature snow sculpture event featured an entry by employees of the Sudbury Branch of the Canadian Red Cross that evoked the ice palace design at Birks jewellers 40 years before. Red Cross staff put a medieval twist on their ice castle, which included a fire-breathing dragon whose tail was a slide for the children to come out and enjoy.
The 1994 Snowflake Festival continued the traditions set over the years, beginning with a bang with fireworks and a torchlight parade . Unfortunately, only indoor events drew big crowds that year. This began the decline of the Snowflake Festival.
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