Moores excited about the return of in-person events at Winterfest in CBS
By Mark Squibb/February 3, 2023
Ward 1 councillor and Winterfest in CBS chairperson Shelly Moores says the festival is not only back and in-person, but is bigger and better than ever.
Moores and Ward 3-councillor Gerard Tilley have been working with a committee of staff and volunteers to plan the events, which start next week.
“This is very exciting,” said Moores. “When we have our meetings, we’ll have talk about how exciting it is to be back in-person, and someone will say, ‘Don’t speak too soon, we don’t want anything to happen!’ But we have so many different ideas and people are just so excited to get back in-person again, so it’s really made a big difference. And on top of that, we’re also celebrating our 50th anniversary this year in CBS, so we’re trying to add a lot of fiftieth twists to our Winterfest. So, it’s going to be bigger and better than ever for sure.”
To that end, special, 50th anniversary events, such as a kick off event with Bic and the Ballpoints, are being incorporated in Winterfest.
“We’re also hosting paint nights that incorporate the 50th anniversary, so we’ll be painting scenes from CBS from over the last 50 years,” said Moores. “We’re hoping to do trivia nights and incorporate CBS trivia from the past 50 years. Even little things, like in our sports tournaments, players of the game will receive 50th anniversary memorabilia. So, there’s a lot of little things like that that we’re trying to incorporate.”
The town’s anniversary celebrations will continue above and beyond Winterfest celebrations, and a second committee has been tasked with planning anniversary celebrations throughout the year.
Moores said the Town is building on past festival events, such as the craft beer night, and also introducing new events, such as a youth night at The Hangout.
Council had intended to hold an in-person Winterfest last year, but an unexpected wave of COVID-19 cases across the province put a damper on that plan.
The Town was able to postpone the Annie Parsons and Fred Squires Shields Hockey Tournament until the spring, but most other events were held virtually or cancelled outright.
Moores was elected in the 2021 municipal election, so this year’s Winterfest marks her first Winterfest as a member of council.
She said she is most looking forward to the kick off event, pancake breakfast and other large group events that allow folks an opportunity to get out and socialize with one another — something that was denied during the pandemic. She’s also excited for the Shield Hockey and Winterfest Soccer tournaments.
Moores is proud to say the festival is for everyone, and encouraged residents to come out and enjoy the many offerings.
“We’re really focusing on doing a lot of activities for everyone,” said Moores. “Children, youth, adults, seniors — we have a variety of events that everyone can participate in. Our goal is to make this a community celebration that is affordable and accessible and fun for everyone. And, luckily with all of our great businesses and community partners in CBS, the majority of our Winterfest activities are free. So, it’s a great opportunity to get out, meet your neighbours, meet some new people, and have some fun and celebrate all the great things that CBS and Winterfest have to offer.”
Winterfest runs from February 10th until the 19th.