Frosty Fest set to return in Gurnee
After a one-year hiatus, Gurnee's Frosty Fest is scheduled to return Saturday.
With a favorable winter weather forecast expected to be in the 30s, Frosty Fest is set from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Bittersweet Golf Club, 875 Almond Road.
Free family activities will abound at Frosty Fest, including snow shoeing, sledding, ice sculpting demonstrations, snow golf on the Bittersweet links and sleigh rides. There also will be gratis hot chocolate and s'mores for all visitors.
If all goes well, it'll be the seventh Frosty Fest sponsored by the Gurnee Park District.
Frosty Fest was canceled in 2015 due to what park district organizers said was dangerously cold weather.
Similar to previous years, Frosty Fest originally was scheduled for Friday night, Jan. 9, 2015. Because of the bitter cold, the park district pushed the date to Friday night, Feb. 27, 2015, on the premise the frigid conditions would ease by then.
However, the late winter date didn't work, either, because of nighttime temperatures that were expected to hover around zero.
Park officials said they decided to try again in 2016 and moved Frosty Fest to the daytime,
An estimated 1,500 people attended the 2014 Frosty Fest.
In addition to guest safety, park officials said they need to be concerned about workers and animals that are part of the event.