WATERVILLE — Sledding, cross country skiing and snowshoeing are among the activities being offered Saturday at Green Street Park in the city’s South End as part of Inland Hospital’s Let’s Go! WinterFest.
The event, which is free and open to the public, will be 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. It was postponed from earlier this month because of frigid temperatures.
The fest is part of the year-round Let’s Go! Family Fun Series that Inland sponsors, offering a free event every month designed to get people out doing healthful activities, according to Ellen Wells, the hospital’s community wellness team leader.
Last year, Inland partnered for the first time with South End Neighborhood Association and Waterville Parks and Recreation on WinterFest, Wells said.
“The whole goal of the Family Fun Series is to get people out, having fun as a family, and link them to low cost resources close to their homes,” Wells said Monday.
Parks and Recreation will be at the park later this week, grooming a track for skiing and snowshoeing and getting the sledding hill ready, she said.
L.L. Bean’s Healthy Home Towns Program provides a trailer full of equipment, including cross country skis and snowshoes.
“We’ll have that equipment on hand for folks to try,” Wells said.
Every September, Inland kicks off the year-round series of events, which includes monthly activities such as hikes, the January Winter Carnival at Quarry Road Recreation Area, March yoga and creative movement sampler and other activities.
“We have more than 300 families for this year’s series,” Wells said.
Families that register for the events get a “passport,” which they may get stamped at the monthly events, and their names go into a drawing for a $500 L.L. Bean gift card. The winner’s name is drawn at the September kickoff, Wells said.
Inland partners with more than a dozen organizations on the monthly activities with Waterville Parks & Recreation and Alfond Youth Center being the strongest partners, according to Wells.
The hospital also works in schools to help set policies related to health.
The local efforts are part of Let’s Go! 5210 Program, a childhood obesity initiative of Barbara Bush Hospital of Maine Medical Center, she said.
“It’s become quite a successful model across the state, and it’s spreading nationwide,” she said.
South End Neighborhood Association Co-chairman Heather Merrow said that last year about 150 people of all ages attended WinterFest, not only from the South End and around the city, but also from out of town.
Association Co-Chairman Jackie Dupont said Inland approached the association last year about holding a winter event in the South End, and she and others thought it was a great idea.
“We’re very excited to support that and get the people in the neighborhood involved in some outdoor family-friendly fun activities,” Dupont said.
She said it is a way for families to try out skis or snowshoes to see if they like them before investing money in new ones. The event helps raise awareness about the park, which offers a skateboard park in summer. It also lets people know about the Friends of Green Street Park, a group that gets people involved in helping to improve the park, Dupont said.
“It’s great to be able to say we’re using that park all year round — it’s a four-season park,” she said.
She added that a lot of association volunteers will be on hand, helping to hand out refreshments and free hats while they last.
Amy Calder — 861-9247
Twitter: @AmyCalder17
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