Celebrate winter with a visit to downtown Fort Wayne on Saturday, January 28! The 6th Annual Winterval festival promises a full day of indoor and outdoor winter fun for all ages.
The Community Center’s FREE Winter Carnival runs from 1 – 4 pm and includes horse and carriage rides, face painting, games and crafts, and yummy treats–snow cones and liquid mud–to warm you inside and out. The Community Center is located at 233 W. Main St.
The Botanical Conservatory has Winterval activities from 10 am – 3 pm that day which include crafting a winter bird feeder, interactive displays and an ice carving demonstration. Don’t forget to explore the new “Mary Poppins” exhibit. The Botanical Conservatory is located at 1100 S. Calhoun St.
A long list of downtown venues will also offer plenty of fun for the whole family, many providing discounts and refreshments:
- 9 am – 3 pm, Freeze Frame Picture Car & Truck Show and Freeze Frame Model, Car, Truck and Hobby Show. First Presbyterian Church, 300 W. Wayne St. Free admission for spectators. Visit www.WintervalFW.com for participant entry fees.
- 10 am – 5 pm, Nouvelle Annee: A French Garrison 1756, The Old Fort (Historic Fort Wayne), 1201 Spy Run Ave. Re-enactors will demonstrate mail call, military drills, cooking & sewing. Bake sale, hot cocoa & coffee also available. Free admission, donations accepted.
- 10 am – 5 pm, Science Central, 1950 N. Clinton. Glacial Gak Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream, Zula Patrol: Mission Weather Exhibit, Free vision screening by Fort Wayne Central Lions Club. Admission to Science Central discounted to $5.
- 10 am – 3 pm, Winterval at the Conservatory (See above.) Regular admission.
- 11 am – 10 pm, Public Skating at Headwaters Ice Rink, 333 S. Clinton St. Fort Wayne Ice Skating Club Exhibitions at 1:15, 2:15, 3:15 and 4:15. Regular admission.
- 12 – 4 pm, Allen County Public Library, 900 Library Plaza. Ice carving on the Plaza, 12-2 pm, crafts 2-4 pm. Free admission.
- 1 pm, Annual Snow Bowl Rugby Game, Lawton Park, 1900 N. Clinton St. Fort Wayne Rugby Football Club, IPFW, Taylor University and Indiana Wesleyan Rugby Clubs compete. Free admission.
- 1 – 4 pm, Winter Carnival, Community Center (See above.) Free admission.
- 2 pm, Fort Wayne Youtheatre presents “Dr. Seuss on the Loose,” Community Center, 233 W. Main St. Free admission.
LIVE ICE CARVINGS—Watch professional carvers create ice sculptures before your eyes! Visit www.WintervalFW.com for the most current list of ice carving locations:
- 11 am Botanical Conservatory, 1100 S. Calhoun St.
- 12 pm Allen County Public Library, 900 Library Plaza
- 2 pm Community Center, 233 W. Main St.
PRESCULPTED ICE CARVINGS—Stop by these sites at your convenience that day to see completed ice carvings:
- Signature Health Care of Fort Wayne, St. Francis Performing Arts Center, 431 W. Berry St.
- WAJI Majic 95.1, Freimann Square, 200 E. Main St.
- Visit Fort Wayne, Freimann Square, 200 E. Main St.
- Design Collaborative, northeast corner of Clinton and Berry
More information and photos can be found at www.WintervalFW.com. Winterval is sponsored by Majic 95.1, the Downtown Improvement District and the Fort Wayne Parks & Recreation Department.