Central Park

The Daily Plant : Tuesday, January 13, 2004

WINTER FESTIVAL 2004: A DAY FILLED WITH FUN AND SNOW

On Saturday, January 10, thousands of New Yorkers braved the cold weather to experience a little bit of Vermont in Central Park. It was the annual Winter Festival, presented by Hormel Deli. Over a foot of fresh snow, created by snowmakers from Vermont, covered the East Meadow for free winter activities. The weather was the coldest its been all year, with temperatures in single digits. Despite the frigid air, the annual New York City tradition went off without a hitch and New Yorkers of all ages left the East Meadow with smiles on their faces.

"I hope all New Yorkers continue to brave the winter weather to come out to parks," said Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe. "With so much happening in our parks, there’s no reason to let the cold weather keep you away from all the cool events. Many thanks to all of our sponsors for helping make this exciting event possible and bringing winter activities to New York City."

Winter Festival 2004 featured free snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and snow tubing. A snow sculpting contest was held and prizes were awarded. Participants watched trained professionals give an ice carving demonstration, and arts & crafts activities such as jewelry making were offered. Parks & Recreation’s Urban Park Rangers also led orienteering tours around the park. In the Hormel Deli Warming hut, people escaped the cold air and received free hot chocolate and samples of Hormel deli meats.

The fresh blanket of snow was provided by Ski Vermont and Killington Mountain and Mount Snow snowmakers. Other sponsors of Winter Festival 2004 include the Cross-Country Ski Areas Association which provided skis for the public to use and Tubbs Snowshoes which provided snowshoes. Viacom Outdoor, the New York Post, and Q104.3 helped make the event a success by getting the word out through advertisements. Digit, a cyber bird from WNET’s "Cyberchase" series helped entertain children. Sesame Workshop’s Sagwa, the Chinese Siamese Cat, also delighted young New Yorkers.

The event would not have been such a huge success without the hard work of the Citywide Marketing and Special Events staff, in addition to other Parks & Recreation staff and dedicated volunteers. Their efforts organizing and managing the event allowed for thousands of New Yorkers to enjoy a fun day of winter activities.

Winter Festival is a part of Cool New York, the City’s three-week long winter celebration of the arts and parks presented by American Express which runs through February 2, 2004. To find out about locations and times of other Cool New York events, New Yorkers can call 311 or visit www.nyc.gov.

"For memory has painted this perfect day
With colors that never fade,
And we find at the end of a perfect day
The soul of a friend we’ve made."

Carrie Jacobs Bond
(1862-1946)

Know Before You Go

Harlem Meer Center (formerly Lasker Rink)

Harlem Meer Center