CAMDEN – Camden is looking forward to celebrating an 80-year history of organized winter festivities in the Midcoast at this year's upcoming Winterfest and U.S. National Toboggan Championships. Camden's modern-day tradition of Winterfest dates back 15 years, but the idea originally started in 1936 with Camden's Winter Carnival. The winter festivities of the 1930s and early 40s included toboggan rides, skating races, figure skating contests, and an icy throne for the Queen of the Winter Carnival and her attending court.

Festivities at the original Winter Carnival took place around town and at the Camden Snow Bowl, just as they do today. The original Camden Snow Bowl lodge, built in 1936 and since burned down, was a cozy place to warm up by the fire. Contests were also a popular feature of the carnival for many years – horse races (skijoring), wood sawing contests, trap shooting, and even "potato races on the ice," according to Camden Town Historian Barbara Dyer.

The Outing Club was the organizer of the original Winter Carnival, which ran until 1941 after which the war put things to an end.

The modern Winterfest includes community ice carving festivities, the Maine State Snow Sculpture Championships, a live music concert, movies and a puppet show for kids, the CamJam ski and snowboard exhibition, and then the annual U.S. National Toboggan Championships.

Camden is proud to carry on the Winter Carnival tradition and celebrate the community, the winter season and the rich history in the Midcoast that is more than windjammers and lighthouses.

A full schedule of this year's Winterfest, Feb. 4-11, is available at camdenwinterfest.com; a full schedule of the Toboggan Nationals weekend, Feb. 10-12, can be found at camdensnowbowl.com.