PA Winter Carnival promises family fun

Project ASCENT, a local non-profit organization committed to getting youth and families outside, is preparing for their annual Winter Carnival this Saturday, February 12. Between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., families can bring children ages four to 18 to participate in a wide variety of winter themed carnival games. Kids earn tickets playing games, and the tickets can be turned in for prizes..

“We have over 100 prizes for kids to choose from, with a big focus on STEM,” said Project ASCENT Secretary Andrea Christensen. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, and is an approach to learning that promotes interest in these career fields. She also explained that this year will be slightly different. “Since this event is geared for families and not just kids, we have a strict policy that all kiddos must be accompanied by an adult. We want everyone to be safe and have a fun time together.”

Project ASCENT team members suggest all participants come wearing snow boots and warm clothes since the event is held outside. This year, the event will be held at the Thompson Falls High School football practice field.

According to Christensen, one of the best parts of it all is that the event is completely free. The only cost is food for adults. “Over 20 local businesses help sponsor this event, and thanks to a grant from the Elks Lodge this year kids eat free. All they need is a game card that they get at check-in,” added Christensen. Some of the food options will include hot dogs, “handwarmer tacos,” hot cocoa and a Project ASCENT staple: hot Dr. Pepper. “It’s a childhood favorite of one of our founding board members, and quite a popular drink in the south! It’s simply heated up Dr. Pepper, but somehow takes on a different flavor and keeps a bit of fizz. It’s a great hot option to enjoy while playing in the winter weather,” Christensen said.

“We do this as a community give back, since we have such a wonderful amount of support from Thompson Falls,” Christensen added. “The goal of the winter carnival is to get families outside and active together at a time of year that they normally wouldn’t be. We hope to help cure the wintertime blues that usually sets in this time of year, as one of our organization’s goals is to combat mental illness that’s associated with a sedentary lifestyle.”

Fore more information on the organization, visit http://www.projectascent.org.