“It was a great day of Winterfest activities today,” Warren County Chamber of Business and Industry Director of Tourism John Papalia said. “Hundreds of people were at the park participating in various activities.”

“The sledding his was full of riders, the vendor tent was full of people,” Papalia said. “Everything from education programs, geomeet, mountain bike riding, and kids’ activities were very successful.”

Weather late last week caused the long-distance sled-dog races to be canceled on Friday.

On Saturday and Sunday, the sled-dog sprint races were held as scheduled.

Times Observer photo by Brian Ferry Madelyn Gumpf of Beaver Falls fishes through the ice at Chapman State Park on Saturday during Winterfest. Corey Huber of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Bureau of State Parks (left) instructed Winterfest visitors including the Gumpfs (from left) Steve, Sarah, Isaiah, and Nicole, in the basics of ice fishing.

Dogs weren’t only involved in the sled-dog races. Numerous dogs — seasoned veterans and first-time walk-ons — took part in the Iron Dog Weight Pull.

Also on Saturday, 27 intrepid people signed up for and participated in the Salvation Army Polar Plunge.

They had to take turns. With close to a foot of snow on top of about eight inches of ice on the lake, Glade Volunteer Fire Department officials — in charge of safety for the event — settled for a small hole in the ice above about three feet of icy water with a path through the slush.

Five groups of five and one of two took turns in the water. Some plungers simply ran in, others went for more dramatic entries — from cannonballs to trust falls. Several were a little hesitant — whether from the experience of the frigid slush on their skin as they ran toward the water or because the near edge of hole was obscured by that slush. One plunger was dressed as a bald eagle.

Salvation Army Major Keith Jache welcomed the plungers and the hundreds of spectators on the beach.

Times Observer photo by Brian Ferry Carson pulls a sled weighing 480 pounds down the track at the Iron Dog Weight Pulling event at Winterfest.

He thanked Hooktown Holidays for offering to match donations raised through the event up to $500. The plungers raised more than that.

“We had a great turnout here,” Jache said. “We had 27 plungers – including people from out of town.”

“It was a success,” he said.

“I am very pleased at the turnout at the park,” Papalia said. “It seemed that everyone was having a great time.”

Times Observer photo by Brian Ferry Greg Triskett of the Glade Volunteer Fire Department kicks back in the frigid waters of Chapman Lake on Saturday a few minutes before the start of the Salvation Army Polar Plunge.