SMAHS Ecology Club’s Winterfest planned for Thursday
On Thursday, Punxsutawney Phil announced his prediction that there will be six more weeks of winter. The St. Marys Area High School Ecology Club is hoping that forecast holds true despite what the forecast for the upcoming week shows.
The club hopes to hold a Winterfest event on Thursday, Feb. 9 from 4-7 p.m. at the outdoor classroom located next to the St. Marys Area Middle School.
“The SMAHS Ecology Club has wanted to hold this event for several years. However, for a variety of reasons, we have not been able,” said SMAHS Ecology Club Advisor Jamie Caskey. “This year, we have the special opportunity to showcase the school's Outdoor Classroom and Fish Nursery. We really want to give the community a chance to see what the outdoor classroom, winter environment, and the school have to offer. We want to get people outside and active in what can be very long winter months.”
According to the National Weather Service in State College, the current forecast for Thursday is mostly cloudy skies with a chance of showers and a high temperature near 47 degrees.
In the event of rain, the Winterfest will be postponed until later in the month.
“There are activities planned in the event of sun or snow. In the event of rain, we have a rain date of Feb. 28 scheduled,” Caskey said. “We would really like to make sure people are able to be outside and enjoying the winter weather.”
Whenever the Winterfest is able to be held, it will be open to all members of the community and have much to offer for attendees of all ages.
“Food, crafts, and other products will be sold. KECA will have a booth and a free basket raffle. We will be playing games indoors and out,” Caskey said.
In addition to the Ecology Club and KECA, other entities from St. Marys Area High School that are scheduled to be involved include student government, Dutch manufacturing, disc golf, robotics, HOSA, and the German Club.
Weather permitting, activities planned for the event include snowman building, igloo building, medical bingo, disc golf activities, card games, cornhole, and craft projects such as birdseed ornaments.
“We really want to get people active and outdoors in the winter months,” Caskey said regarding the club's goal for Winterfest. “We would also like people to see what an amazing facility we have and all the great work that our clubs do here at the high school.”
If the Winterfest is a success this year, Caskey expressed the hope that it will become an annual event.