Staff Writer
WOODLAND — That groundhog can keep the first part of February, because Feb. 27 was all about the woodchucks. A major fundraiser of the year, sponsored the 51st annual Woodland Winter Carnival. Every year, the community gathers at the school for races, laughter, and the crowning of the Woodland Winter Carnival King and Queen.
Now that was a snow tire; what can only be described as a pile of tubers slid down the sledding hill at the Woodland School on Feb. 27 for the 51st Woodland Winter Carnival.
This year’s King was Matthew Manter, the son of Brian Manter and Kim Sutherland. Adapted from Saturday Night Live, his speech “I Love the Red Sox” won him the crown. He was coached by his father.
The Queen of the day was Mariessa Sarmiento, daughter of Stan and Bonnie Sarmiento. Her self-written speech, titled “My Perfect Prom,” propelled her to royalty status. She was coached by Union 122 music teacher Jennifer Holmes.
When the woodchucks had chucked enough outdoor-activity, the gym was an inviting place for a quick rest and refuling with hotdogs, cocoa, and other warm items that were perfect for the community members who had worked up quite an appetite racing, cheering on their friends, and participating in the occasional sporadic snowball fight.
Carnival fever seemed to be so contagious and consuming that at times, the excitement of the parents was indistinguishable from that of the children as medal-taunting and wrestling-matches became (playfully) a perfectly acceptable part of the social structure.
Despite the races and games, raffles and cocoa, there was one aspect of the Winter Carnival that all kids — big and small — couldn’t get enough of: everybody loved the snow.
The children couldn’t get enough of it. If they were waiting for their race to start, they were playing in the snow. If they were walking from the sled hill to the racecourse, they were playing in the snow.
Snowball fights, and snow piles, and snow sliding, and snow forts — there was snow wrestling, snow hopping, and yes, there was snow eating (though parents did their best to discourage it).
While normally it gets shoveled and salted and brooded upon, it’s pretty safe to say that for at least one day of year, the town of Woodland loves the snow.
While the children seemed too busy having a good time to really worry about who won or lost, the adults were merciless in their pursuit for the one adult medal given for Tubing. According to former PTA president Tracy McCrossin, the competition is so extreme that people often offer the judges bribes. They may be playful, hypothetical bribes, but still. Woodchucks are best to stay away from the adults as they talk trash, lest they laugh themselves silly.
