I have been to many Côte Saint-Luc Winter Carnivals in my lifetime. In fact, when I was a mere toddler my parents would take me to Wentworth Park (now called Kirwan) behind my house. That was the hub for activities in those days and I just loved the experience.
Well, the Winter Carnival has been based at our flagship Pierre Elliott Trudeau Park for decades and on February 9, 2014, the weather conditions for this time of year were ideal. As a result we had one of strongest turnouts in years. There was a free pancake breakfast, dog sled rides, ice sculptures, taffy on the snow, horse carriage rides, curling on ice, face painting and more. Not surprisingly, our theme for this year was the Olympics. It all began on February 5 with a hockey tournament and concludes on Saturday, February 15, with our Winter Carnival Dance.
The traditional Côte Saint-Luc Figure Skating Club Exhibition packed the Samuel Moskovitch Arena, with performers of different ages putting on a sensational. Mayor Anthony Housefather and members of council were invited to center ice to present trophies.
All Côte Saint-Luc Winter Carnival events were free except for public skating on February 8 and the Valentine Dance.Proceeds from the former and donations at the pancake breakfast will go to Ronald McDonald House. A total of $4,500 was raised this year.
Sponsors of the event included McDonald’s (Pierre Brunet Franchise), Domino’s Pizza, the Montreal police (SPVM), CPA Côte Saint-Luc, Holiday Inn, Côte Saint-Luc Minor Hockey Association, École culinaire Loblaws (Cavendish), Canteen Samuel Moskovitch, Harrow, The Suburban, Métro, Jumbologo, and Trophées Pointe Claire. Photography by Randi Weitzner and Bianca Roberti-Even.