Outhouse Races Set for Winterfest

The Winterfest Event Committee announced today that a new event will happen at this year’s Winterfest for the first time. The new event is the Outhouse Races which are scheduled to begin at 2:00 PM on Sunday January 18th at 2:00 PM at Chapman State Park. The event is designed to be both a fundraiser to help support the Winterfest Event and a humorous, but competitive addition to the slate of events at Winterfest.

The event will basically involve a five person team racing a cut down version of an outhouse mounted on cross country skis. The team will consist of one rider sitting on the throne in the outhouse with two team members pushing the outhouse and two people pulling the outhouse by attached ropes. Each team will be timed for covering the 50 yard race course. Team contestants must be a minimum of 18 years old, except that the rider on the throne can be a minimum of ten years old, provided that a parent is also a participant in the event. Trophies and prizes will be awarded to the top four teams in the contest.

Contestants may either utilize one of the two racing outhouse sleds designed and built for the Winterfest Committee or build their own racing outhouse complete with toilet paper holder and magazine rack with reading material according to the event specifications. The entry fee for participating in the event is a $50.00 donation to the Winterfest Event which will help support the many events and activities that comprise the annual Winterfest Event.

Winterfest Chairperson Sharon Miller said,” We think that this will be a fun family event for both contestants and spectators that will add something to our Sunday schedule and we plan on making this a part of our annual event. We hope that businesses, organizations, families, and friends will want to sponsor a team in this friendly and fun event that will help support Winterfest in the future. Just like Winterfest itself, the event will happen no matter the weather, so the two outhouse racers we constructed have both skis and wheels, so we can race no matter what weather conditions we have each year.”

For more information on the Outhouse Races in particular or the Winterfest event itself check out our website at www.warrencountywinterfest.com The registration forms, event rules, and outhouse specifications are available online, or you can register to participate at the event registration table in the main event tent between 10:00 am and 4:30 pm on Saturday or from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm on Sunday January 18th.

Each year on the third weekend of January, Warren County, Pennsylvania, stages a 3-day family-oriented festival – Winterfest. Located in Northwestern Pennsylvania, Warren County is a Commonwealth tourist destination that caters to all outdoor recreationists who enjoy the surrounding 513,000-acre Allegheny National Forest (ANF). There is no admission fee and activities also are conducted without charge. Approximately 10,000 -12,000 people attend this event on an annual basis.

Winterfest takes place at a single venue - Chapman State Park, located 14 miles east of Warren. The park, with a serene 68-acre lake, is managed by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) and is surrounded by the ANF, which encompasses four counties, all of which are part of Pennsylvania Wilds. Winterfest is purported to be the largest winter festival in the Pennsylvania Wilds.

As mentioned earlier, this event is free to attend for the public, however, it is not without cost to host and there is a dedicated group of volunteers who work together year around to plan and host this event. Acting as a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization and financial agent for the Winterfest Committee, Penn Soil RC&D has agreed to assist the group with fundraising for the event and receive charitable contributions from interested parties.

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