The 8th annual Cochrane WinterFest was held in a new locale and boasted many new elements.

While the extra snowfall may have deterred some community members from attending, Marina Chabbert, Organizer and President of Cochrane Area Events Society, shares the families that came out to play had a great time and smiles were seen all around. "The day was great. I think everybody who came had a great time, they enjoyed it and they loved the activities."

The Ag Grounds turned out to be the perfect venue for archery tag, axe throwing and ski jumping, which were all extremely popular with event goers. "They were all talking about archery, they just had a blast doing it. It's an event that for sure we'll want to try and bring to another one of our events, so everybody can try. The ski jump, I am sure it was kind of scary for the kids but the ones running it were so great. They would love to come back to Cochrane and showcase it again and told me it runs better when it's summer, which I found surprising, so it might be an opportunity for a summer event for us."

While the event will run in the red due to downed attendance and low sponsorship, Chabbert was not disappointed. "We are still proud of what we did and we're still happy. The people that came were happy and that's all that matters. I always say to people you're not going to hit it out of the park every time you do something and this is just one of those times, we just need to absorb it and that's all there is to it."

The Stampede Royalty attended along with Cochrane Lions Rodeo Queen Jesse Miller, as well as, members of Cochrane Fire Services and Cochrane RCMP. The two groups of six emergency responders battled for the winning cup in a tug of war. "The firemen won, it was pretty exciting and everybody was cheering like crazy. It is such a rivalry between both and they were joking before and after, it was so funny."

Chabbert was thrilled to once again receive support from longtime sponsor Atco as well as many others. "It's just so much fun to see people from the outside recognize what a vibrant and great community we have."

While Chabbert is not sure when/if Cochrane Area Events Society is hosting a summer festival she is constantly researching new and excitng elements to add to local events.