Too chilly — Gurnee postpones Frosty Fest

Gurnee will have frost without the fest Friday night.

Citing a bitterly cold forecast, village and Gurnee Park District officials have announced postponement of the annual Frosty Fest, which was set for 5 to 8:30 p.m. at Bittersweet Golf Club with a fun agenda including dog-sled team demonstrations. Frosty Fest will now be Friday, Feb. 27.

However, not all winter festivals are being postponed because of winter weather. Sunday's 23rd annual Winterfest will be a go at Volo Bog State Natural Area in Ingleside in unincorporated Lake County.

Gurnee Park District spokeswoman Jennifer Gilbert said the Frosty Fest postponement was a difficult decision. She said officials made the call based on a National Weather Service forecast showing Friday's high at 4 degrees and a nighttime low of 7 below zero.

“This is our seventh year offering Frosty Fest and I can tell you that each year is a bit of a nail-biter,” Gilbert said. “Will we have snow? Hopefully, not too much. Will it be snowing during the event? Is it safe to travel? Are roads clear?”

Gilbert said Thursday that Frosty Fest was moved up by a week this year because overflow parking would not have been available at Woodland Middle School, south of the golf course, for the preferred date. An estimated 1,500 people attended last year's free festival on a day when the temperature reached a high of 21 degrees and 13 for the low.

As in previous years, Frosty Fest will feature ice carving, horse-drawn carriage rides, sledding, ice sculpting, snow golf on the Bittersweet links, s'mores and the dog-sled team on Feb. 27. Free glow necklaces will be given to the first 500 children in attendance.

“When the National Weather Service says frostbite can occur in a matter of minutes, we have to take those warnings seriously when offering an event that is 2½ hours long and mainly outdoors,” Gilbert said.

At the Volo Bog State Natural Area off Route 12 in Ingleside, the free Winterfest will run noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. The only time Winterfest was not held was in 1997 when the bog's visitors center underwent renovations.

Stacy Iwanicki, who works for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and coordinates educational programs at Volo Bog and Moraine Hills State Park, said Winterfest has evolved to include live music and other activities indoors, so there is almost no reason for a postponement or cancellation. Snow adds to the fun, she said.

“If winter actually decides to show up for the party, we do our snow sculpting contest and invite people to bring their snowshoes and skis,” she said.

Last year, bitter cold led Hawthorn Woods officials to postpone their first Winter Carnival from Feb. 1 to Feb. 22.

This year's event — to include wagon rides, sledding and entertainment — is scheduled from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21. Officials decided to schedule this year's Winter Carnival on the third Saturday in February for continuity, said Amy Scholz, the village's recreation and public relations manager.

•Daily Herald staff writer Mick Zawislak contributed to this report.