During the weekend, the city hosted its fourth-annual “Winterfest” event, which is a celebration of the Winter season, including several events for both members of the city and members of the University.

Event hosts included the University’s Ice Arena, the City Park and The American Red Cross, as well as various other local businesses and organizations. Events such as ice carving demonstrations, horse and carriage rides, and winter-based games and competitions took place in the city throughout the weekend.

Winterfest kicked off Friday night at the Clazel with the American Red Cross “Fire and Ice” event.

“The Fire and Ice event is a great way to honor those who put themselves in harm’s way for the community,” said Jason Copsey, communications officer for the American Red Cross.

The University’s Red Cross Club was also involved in the event.

“The Red Cross Club helps to make sure the event runs smoothly,” said Don Eberle, faculty advisor to the Red Cross Club. “We help set up, and we run the coat check, 50/50 raffle and take tickets at the door.”

The Red Cross Club wasn’t the only University organization involved in this year’s Winterfest. The University’s Ice Arena also had several events that were part of Winterfest, including four public skate events and a curling tournament.

“Winterfest helps the ice arena keep a good relationship with the city’s community, as well as the University’s,” said Jamie Baringer, director for the University Ice Arena.

Baringer said the ice arena is a very important part of Winterfest because of the focus on ice-based sports. The arena also hosted a pancake breakfast on Saturday morning as well as a skating exhibition on Saturday evening.

The city’s Art Slam Gallery was also a part of Winterfest, exhibiting the art of students, graduates and local artists alike, as well as performances by live local musicians and the “Polarpalooza” alternative fashion show, which showcased winter fashions designed by a local citizen.

Beth Genson, Gallery host, said that it was good to expose the community to the arts, as well as introduce local artists to each other.

The idea of Winterfest was sparked by a conversation with 1984 Olympic gold medalist Scott Hamilton, who had been thinking about a Bowling Green fundraising event, according to the Winterfest website http://www.winterfestbg.com/about.

“We decided to take a listless winter weekend in northern Ohio and turn it around into a lively celebration made up of a host of cool events,” according to the website.