ELLENVILLE, NY — The Ellenville-Wawarsing Youth Commission will hold its annual WinterFest on Sunday, January 29 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Lippman Park. Gather in the heated tent for music and food: soup and hotdogs from Frankie’s Franks and a food truck from Tavern at the Gunks. Outside there will be winter challenges to compete in.

This event began as a Broomball tournament—a mixture of hockey and soccer, played on ice—between local service organizations. The tradition is still carried on (weather-permitting) and organized by the Renegade Bike Club, with a few more activities added. They include Wife Carrying, a relay race originating from an Eastern European tradition based around the 19th Century legend of “Ronkainen the Robber,” which involves carrying another person through a series of obstacle courses; Poker Run Hike, a one-mile course on the bike trails to collect envelopes containing playing cards at five different checkpoints, which are then used to play a poker game at the end of the hike; tug-o-war, and more.

Nature Games Minnewaska State Park Preserve educators will be leading an interactive hike where kids can look for signs of winter animal activity, along with other fun nature games. Contact the Renegade Bike Club to participate in mountain bike riding at WinterFest: board@renegadesmtb.com.

The competition is open to anyone with a group of 10. To register, or for more information, call 845/647-7800, ext. 129.