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Sunday, May 11, 2008 • 06:42 pm |
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2 • February 01, 2008 This morning, the National Capital Commission (NCC) and the Ville de Gatineau, along with special guests and the Ice Hog family, Winterlude’s mascots, officially opened Sun Life Snowflake Kingdom.
This morning, the National Capital Commission (NCC) and the Ville de Gatineau, along with special guests and the Ice Hog family, Winterlude's mascots, officially opened Sun Life Snowflake Kingdom. Located in Gatineau's Jacques-Cartier Park, this snow playground will welcome the young and the young at heart during Winterlude, from February 1 to 17, 2008. "We take great delight every year in welcoming the 300,000 or so guests who visit the Sun Life Snowflake Kingdom, where residents and tourists alike get treated to an unforgettable experience. I would also like to mention how much we appreciate the extraordinary commitment of the 300 volunteers, who are instrumental to the success of this spectacular event," indicated Gatineau Mayor Marc Bureau. "The excitement of learning about Canadian winter traditions and enjoying outdoor winter fun awaits visitors at Sun Life Snowflake Kingdom this Winterlude," said Ms. Marie Lemay, NCC Chief Executive Officer. "Once again this year, the NCC and the Ville de Gatineau, in collaboration with their partners, have captured the magic of winter at Jacques-Cartier Park." Giant snow slides, a labyrinth made of snow, the Teletoon Play Zone, the Gatineau Place play area, and performances at the Ice Hog Amphitheatre await visitors to Jacques-Cartier Park. In addition, this year, the Village of Days Gone By at Sun Life Snowflake Kingdom will pay tribute to the 400th anniversary of Québec City, and will showcase Aboriginal traditions, through snow carvings, and encounters with historical characters. Thanks to the support of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, visitors to the Village of Days Gone By can also learn about traditional maple syrup making and discover Aboriginal winter inventions. For a second consecutive year, a collaboration with the Quebec Ministry of Natural Resources and the Conseil Régional de l'environnement et du développement durable de l'Outaouais will bring an exciting ice fishing workshop to Jacques-Cartier Park. During the first weekend of Winterlude, children aged 8 to 12 will be able to take an initiation to ice fishing course, while during the second and third weekends of Winterlude, everyone will have the opportunity to try their hand at this new activity. Thirteen teams of carvers, representing each Canadian province and territory, will be challenged to transform giant blocks of snow into epic size masterpieces during the National Snow Sculpture Competition. Inspired by this year's theme of Northern Creations, sculptors will create larger-than-life snow sculptures representing a winter-themed literary work, visual creation or musical composition from their province or territory. These amazing sculptures will be completed and on display for the public to admire as of the second weekend of Winterlude. Visitors to Jacques-Cartier Park will also be able to meet the Ice Hog family and to receive one of their legendary Ice Hog hugs. Sun Life Snowflake Kingdom is open Wednesdays and Thursdays, from 9 am to 8 pm; Fridays and Saturdays, from 9 am to 9 pm; and Sundays, from 9 am to 6 pm. For more information on Sun Life Snowflake Kingdom, members of the public may contact the Ville de Gatineau at 819-243-3383 or the NCC at 613-239-5000 or at 1 800 465-1867. For a complete listing of Winterlude 2008 activities, members of the public may visit the NCC website at www.winterlude.gc.ca. The NCC and the Ville de Gatineau are proud to work in collaboration with Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, Sun Life, Quebec Ministry of Natural Resources, Teletoon, Northern Lights Conference, Empire Grill.
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