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Bethel's Annual Week of Winter Frolic is Here

January 24, 2011 - Bethel -For 10 years Bethel has made it a point to have one of the most unusual winter carnivals.

Unusual enough to make the Guinness Book of World Records twice.

And even years when the town's effort to create some winter curiosity falls a bit short, locals step forward to energize this ski town during its special winter week.

While Bethel's ice mountain won't materialize as hoped for next week's WinterFest, the locally grown Maine Street Rail Jam is sure to draw several hundred.

The second annual rail jam competition will take place at 5 p.m. Thursday right along Main Street.

There were easily more than 600 who showed last year, and some reports had upwards of 1,000.

"There were a lot of people there," said the founder, Nate Clukey, 35, who has worked at the terrain parks at Sunday River and Mt. Abram ski areas.

"I just was trying to emulate and repeat what I saw skiers doing in ski movies in other cities. These jams are taking place all over Europe and in ski towns across the country."

Clukey also copied what he saw taking place in Portland's Downtown Showdown, the competitive rail jam that has taken place in Portland for two years.

Bethel, however, drew a larger crowd in its first year. And with more than 50 skiers and snowboarders competing again, stunts and tricks will fill the street for a good few hours Thursday.

Clukey picked Thursday for the jam because it's the well-known open-mic night at the popular apres-ski pub Sud's Pub, which marks the start of the rail jam course.

The Bethel WinterFest runs Saturday to Jan. 30 and the weeklong slate of events will feature winter outdoors activities every day.

The centerpiece always has been the town's public art work beside the town rink in Festival Park. And most year's it's a towering success.

Ten years ago it was a snowman dubbed Gov. Angus King, some 10 stories high. In 2008 it was a similar colossal sculpture named after Sen. Olympia Snowe.

Both made the Guinness Book of World Records for tallest snowman, a record Olympia SnowWoman still holds at 122 feet, 1 inch.

"They wouldn't let her have her own category," said Julia Reuter with the Bethel Area Chamber of Commerce.

But there have been similar, less notable snow sculptures, such as last year's snow maze that was created for the festival, then melted and was created again. Or the effort to build 2,000 snowmen that, due to a lack of snow, resulted in just 200 -- but not for lack of trying.

"People were building out of rogue snow, ice, salt. They were doing the best they could," Reuter said.

This year's public sculpture is an ice mountain that, as of Tuesday, hadn't quite taken shape despite weeks of effort and engineering consideration with a water pipe.

The folks in Bethel aren't discouraged.

"We are a little disappointed. The water was spraying too far out. It was growing pretty well to 60 feet, but then started growing out," Reuter said.

But, she added, despite what the ice mountain looks like during the carnival, it still captures this snow town's spirit of adventure and discovery.

"We thought it would be kind of fun. We've got colored lights up. With the falling lights, it's still kind of pretty," Reuter said.

Deirdre Fleming, Portland Press Herald, January 23, 2011



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Regions: Sebago


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