What can you do in the dead of winter to get out of the house and have some fun? Go to Lava Hot Springs and celebrate winter at their annual Fire and Ice Winterfest!    This year’s Winterfest will be held in various locations in and around Lava Hot Springs Friday through Sunday. The event is sponsored by the Greater Lava Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce and has become an annual festival of crazy, zany winter fun, both outdoors and indoors.   

    Kick off a day in the winter sun with the Disc Golf Tournament on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Disc Golf is growing in popularity all over the country and can be played all year round. This event is open to all skill levels, from pro to beginner, so whether you are a proficient player or have never even tried it, there is a place for you at the Disc Golf Tournament at the Fire and Ice Winterfest.

    There will be six divisions playing: beginners (recreational), juniors (aged 16 and under), women, intermediate, advanced and open. Register at the Lava Hot Springs Inn across from the Olympic Swimming Complex. The registration fee is $15 to $35 depending on the division entered. Registration includes a round of golf, a T-shirt and a soak at the Lava Hot Springs Inn. The Disc Golf course is located by the Olympic Swimming Complex. Cash and/or prizes will be awarded to at least the top three scorers in each division. A $5 lunch will be available for Disc Golf Tournament participants at the Royal Hotel & Pizza Parlor, at 11 East Main St.   

    There will be a Water Carnival for kids of all ages at the Indoor Aquatic Center on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. There will be games and prizes, and the admission is free. Kids can participate in float relays, wall climb races, diving contests and a splash event. The Indoor Aquatic Center is located at 195 N. Center St.

    If snowshoeing and skiing is more your style, the Fire and Ice Winterfest offers a chance to do both at Baker Wagon Ranch, located at 11716 S. Dempsey Creek. The Snowshoe and Nordic Ski Event, scheduled from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., will give you a chance to snowshoe or ski along the beautiful hills, featuring a marked one and a half mile groomed track, a warming hut and a snow-tubing hill. In the Nordic Ski Snowball Toss, cross-country skiers will show their skill by tossing tennis balls into five gallon buckets while skiing the obstacle course. The $15 registration fee includes hot beverages, snacks and snowshoe rental. Snowshoes are limited, so make reservations in advance. Mountain Mayhem Store at 155 E. Main in Lava Hot Springs rents Nordic Skis and sledding tubes. Call Mountain Mayhem at (208)-776-5000.

    Prizes of  $120, $90 and $60 wagon ride gift certificates will go the top scorers. Call Baker Ranch at (208) 776- 5684 for registration and information about the Snowshoe and Nordic Ski event. Baker Ranch also offers wagon rides and dinners in the summer months, great for a fun evening out.   

    Don’t miss the centerpiece of the Winterfest, the Polar Float Parade. It’s not a race, but a floating costume contest for those daring enough to dress up in a costume and ride a float tube down the Portneuf River. Register at Mountain Mayhem at 156 E. Main St. The $10 entry fee includes tube rental, so register early.  Contestants enter the river at the Old Pancake House bridge (253 E. Portneuf Ave.) and float for a quarter of a mile. Prizes for the best costumes will be either cash or gift certificates and will be awarded first, second and third for best individual and group costume (four or more people).        

    While there’s plenty of icy chill at the Fire and Ice Winterfest, the fire part will be emphasized on Saturday night with the Fire Performers and Torch Light Parade, a first in this year’s Winterfest.  Performers from Utah’s Incendiary Circus will be presenting street shows and interacting with spectators on Main St. from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.   

    Two more outdoor events are scheduled for Sunday. The Rubber Penguin Race down the Portneuf River starts from the Old Pancake House bridge at 11 a.m. The Running of the Bulls will be at noon down Main St., starting at the hot pools at the Lava Hot Springs Inn. This year, the Running of the Bulls includes a new starting point for smaller children, which will be about halfway down the Main Street course, at the Chuckwagon Restaurant.

    There are many other events that can be enjoyed by those who prefer to let others tube the Portneuf River or run down the street in flip flops. On Friday night there will be a Wine Tasting event at the Riverside Inn, Bingo at the Community Center and Comedy Night at Greystone Manor. On Saturday, have lunch at George’s Famous Music Brunch at the Lava Hot Springs Inn, check out the Chili Cookoff and Bread Tasting at the Chuckwagon Restaurant in the afternoon, play Bingo at the Lava Community Center and try out 21 and Texas Hold ‘Em at Casino Night at the Greystone Manor.

    For more information on all the outdoor and indoor events at the Fire and Ice Winterfest, check out the website for the Lava Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce at www.lavahotsprings.org. Follow the links to the website giving a full calendar for the events of the winter carnival, as well as an interactive map to show you where all the various events are taking place.