Fun and funds for Special Olympics
Collecting cake batter ingredients while racing down the slopes, obstacle courses, and auctions are all part of the fun planned for this year’s Centre Vorlage Carnival in Wakefield.
The annual fundraiser for the Special Olympics is returning with favourite events planned for March 11-12, including the famous cake race on Saturday; the “dummy” race on Sunday, where racers push homemade dummies down the hill; BBQs with a sugar shack-flavour; an introduction to racing activities; and scavenger hunts.
The cake race sees competitors collecting flour, eggs, lard, and mixing them together all while skiing down the hill. The batter is submitted to judges at the finish line and the cakes are baked, judged and then served up at the awards ceremony later in the day. Prizes will be awarded for best time, best-tasting cake, worst-tasting cake, and best-looking cake.
New Centre Vorlage owner Alexandre Gaboury said, “It’s a fresh start,” referring to this year’s carnival after the interruptions to the event caused by the pandemic over the past few years. “It seems like people are very enthusiastic about getting out these days, so they’re pretty much coming out to everything that’s happening right now at the hill,” adding that they are trying some new activities this year.
Entrance fees of $20 for the races and activities as well as proceeds from the evening auction will be donated to the Special Olympics organization, whose mission is to enrich the lives of people with intellectual disabilities through sport, Special Olympics coach Marc Cockburn explained. He noted that Centre Vorlage supports both the Ontario and Quebec Special Olympics programs for athletes of all ages.
Centre Vorlage, formerly known as Ski Vorlage, has been supporting the Special Olympics alpine ski program for over 35 years and hosts special days for kids and teens with developmental disabilities, giving them the opportunity to learn to ski and even race competitively.
Funds raised during the annual Carnival and a bake sale, which was held in February, go to offset the cost of lift tickets, instructors, and racing coaches, explained Cockburn.
While many are making a special trip for the family carnival, any skiers at Centre Vorlage over the weekend will be able to register for carnival events in person at the hill.