WINTER CARNIVAL

A Hong Kong sculpture of a dragon being held in a hand won the International Snow Sculpting Competition at the 1997 Grand Bend Winter Carnival. Teams from England, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Poland, Sweden, United States, Wales and Canada sculpted snow as one of the 42 activities planned during the 10 day event. Officials estimated crowds of 20 000 to 25 000 people to participate in activities such as an ice castle maze, a chili cookoff, snowshoe tours and a sno-pitch baseball game. 2009 is the 24^th year the Winter Carnival has been running, no matter what the weather.