BY ALLENA PEACOCK

The chill of winter accompanies a sense of excitement for the locals here in Culver, Indiana. At the tail end of the season, an entire weekend of festivities known as Winterfest surrounds the town center and envelopes the community in cheer and laughter.

The iconic Lakehouse Grill Winterfest Kick-Off Party is legendary, with adults leaving the kids to their snow sculptures and snow angels and kicking back with a hard earned drink to start the weekend off right. The Lakehouse Grill is known for their whopping burgers and karaoke nights, both of which are available for that initial kick-off.

While the party is in full throttle, an ice sculpture tour awaits those who enjoy an icy quality to their art. The ice sculptures are sponsored by Culver merchants and are lit and displayed throughout the town, giving visitors a magical walk through the best sights in town. The initial ice sculpture tour is not the only chilly component to the weekend. A local treasure, a Beer Garden is right on the beach where music, campfires, s’mores, hot chocolate, and all sorts of wintery wonders can be found. Now, the main event visitors all over the region come to see are the notorious Ice Fights! Amateurs and professionals race to win the coveted top prize as they scale and slice and slip over the ice to create one of a kind works of art with only a block of ice and whatever tools they can scrounge up. The competition is fierce, the friendship is palpable, and the community cheers on the participants waiting with open arms and hot chocolate.

The kiddos can enjoy a series of events throughout the weekend specifically designed with them in mind. An enormous sledding station stands tall waiting for the brave souls willing to risk it all on the mountain of slush and ice. Dozens of kids whip down the hill with the wind in their hair and smiles on their face. Though shrieks can sometimes be heard as the adrenalin courses through their veins, each will hoist their sled over their shoulder and trudge up the hill to do it all over again. For those less excited by a riveting ride, igloos scatter around the town park and tea parties and plastic dinosaurs inhabit the wintery homes. Many snowball fights have been known to wage war over the sacred ground where so many have come before. For the young artists and crafters, kids activities are available at Main Street Studio. Glitter glue and polka dots have been known to make appearances. Of course, no matter the activity a child can choose to participate in, they all return home with a smile on their face and snow in their hair.

To warm up, the Lions Club Pancake Breakfast welcomes you for a warm breakfast complete with hot coffee. If exercise is your preferred method of getting back a bit of circulation, the Cupid’s Dart 5K and 2.5K Fun Run takes place with dozens of runners suiting up. Armed with rosy cheeks and grins on their faces, they get to racing before the rest of the weekend's festivities. If shopping is your personal method of operation, boy have you lucked out. The Cupid’s Crawl Shopping Event boasts steep discounts and even doles out prizes to participants. Prizes for shopping? Now that sounds like a deal. Hosted by the Culver and Lake Maxinkuckee Visitor Center, Café Max, The Collective at 120 South Main, Diva, Civvies, The Lakehouse Grill, Legacy Salon and Spa, and MJ’s Sweet Tooth, there is truly something for everyone. While you’re dining and shopping all over downtown Culver, all you have to do is pick up a Cupid’s Crawl shopping card, shop at four of the participating businesses hosting, get your card stamped at each, then drop your card into a drawing for the chance to win a $300 gift basket! Cute clothes, sweet candy, and even a new look awaits participants of the event.

To cap off Winterfest, visitors and locals can warm up with spicy chili at the Chili Cook-Off. Bragging rights are at stake, and dozens of participants line up with pots of steaming chili, the scent wafting into the noses of all in a two mile radius. A myriad of scrumptious combinations leads those surrounding to risk the spice and gorge on delectable recipes passed down through generations, or found on a Pinterest board. No matter the case, everyone leaves with a full belly and a heart full of love.

The final leg of the festival is the famous Polar Plunge, where brave souls don their funniest costume and rush into the icy Lake Maxinkuckee slipping and sliding only to emerge shivering and laughing minutes later. Fun for both audience and participants, the Polar Plunge T-Shirts mark a tradition you can tell your grandkids about.

The magic of winter, no matter how you feel about the season, is marked by a time of joy and love for the people of Culver, Indiana. Come join us for our own take on a winter wonderland, and feel the love this small town doles out so generously. Will you be our Valentine?

Culver Winterfest