A longtime Canmore winter tradition, the annual Trapper’s Ball returns this year on Saturday (Feb. 8) with new elements added to it as part of Winter Carnival.
Organizer Tracye Lambertson said the event has a mixture of new and old traditions – with new events introduced to embrace Snow Tracks on Main Street, making the event one of many that make up the month-long Winter Carnival.
“We are trying to bring back some of the old traditions and mix them with new traditions as well,” Lambertson said. “It is one of the original Canmore community parties … there is a lot of history there.”
The event begins on the Snow Track with the Mad Trapper’s Dash – a relay event held between 6 and 7 p.m. Lambertson said the majority of participants are part of corporate challenge teams, and each person has to wear snowshoes while pulling 50 pounds on a sled while completing a series of tasks. Those tasks include sawing a log, having an energy drink and throwing a snowball at a stuffed beaver. She added a surprise element has not yet been announced.
Then the party moves to the Miners’ Union Hall at 7:30 p.m., with live music from Prairie Heat. Between sets, the traditional log sawing competition will be held.
With a silent auction and cash bar, the event is a fundraiser for Rotary House. Since 2009, Canmore Rotary House has provided a safe place for those in crisis or in need of emergency short-term accommodation.
Tickets for the event are $20 and available at Stonewaters.
