FROZEN SHUFFLE - Hale resident Elena Thomas uses a broom in an attempt to push a frozen chicken down a plastic strip in a game called the Frozen Chicken Shuffle. Those lucky enough to get the chicken between the lines at the end of the strip won a free chicken from the Hale Senior Center. - Photo by Jason Ogden

Winterfest returns to Hale
by Jason Ogden

HALE - The Hale Yes, Winter Fes took place Saturday on a cold, crisp and clear winter day.

The event, which was brought back to life after a 10-year hiatus, coincided with the third annual Hale Antique and Vintage Snowmobile Show and had many mini-events across town.
A major spectator draw was the outhouse races, which took place in the parking lot of the Hale Elementary/Middle School.

Business sponsored teams built outhouses on wheels and teams of four competed against one another in a variety of relay races.

Winning the grand prize overall was Kathy Jane’s Kollectibles with 15l points. Second place went to Wilson Trucking and Excavating with 144 points. Third place overall was Mind Magik with 140 points overall.

Danielle Eno-Hunt and Michelle Eno, both of Hale, represented Four Seasons Construction in the Monster Garage outhouse.

Eno said she was glad she got to take part in the event and had always wanted to try it when she was a kid. The problem was the festival had been put away before she was old enough to enter.

Tawas City resident John Pettenger took part in the race with the Mind Magik Tattoo Shop. He said, earlier in the day, the team had broken a wheel on their outhouse and a dozen long drywall screws were used to fix it.

After the first heat, in which each member of the team had to perform a task such as throwing a toilet plunger, Pettenger had a reaction.

“It is like a demolition derby out there,” he said, “with outhouses.”

Others in the race were carrying on a family tradition.

Brad Bellville of Hale, who raced with the Hale Hardware team, said he found a photo of his parents racing in the event when they were his age.

After the first heat, in which each member of the team had to perform a task such as throwing a toilet plunger, Pettenger had a reaction.

“It is like a demolition derby out there,” he said, “with outhouses.”

Others in the race were carrying on a family tradition.

Brad Bellville of Hale, who raced with the Hale Hardware team, said he found a photo of his parents racing in the event when they were his age.

Bellville is a junior at Saginaw Valley State University and is home on Christmas break. He said it was nice to see the festival come back to Hale. The only thing he could remember of the previous festival, 10 years earlier, was the large snow sculptures.

This year, Hale Hardware won the contest in the business class, according to organizer Jennifer Stone. She said the Aldrich family won in the family snow sculpture event.

“It went good,” she said of the festival. “It was a good turnout for not having it in so many years and the weather made a big difference.”

Racing outhouses and building snowmen weren’t the only things going on at the festival.

Over at the Hale Senior Citizens Center, the frozen chicken shuffle took place. The game, which was basically shuffleboard with a frozen chicken and brooms, was conducted by Dave Sabino, manager of the center.

The object of the game was to slide a frozen chick across a slick plastic sheet. If the chick stopped between two lines, a free chicken was given by the center to the lucky winner.

But the feat wasn’t easy and, according to Sabino, out of 120 people who each got two chances, only 14 birds were awarded.

Hale resident Elena Thomas gave the chicken shuffle a try, but came up short.

Thomas said she has lived in the area for a long time and was really happy to see the festival come back to the town.

Her husband, Ed, was also excited at the prospects of the festival.

“It has been kind of a spur of the moment thing,” he said, “and it has been great.”

A new event to the festival was a chili cooking contest. Mugs were sold and area businesses dished out chili. According to organizers, there were 19 individual entries into the contest.

Stone said the Hale Senior Center won the event.

Laura View, an employee at the Bear’s Den Restaurant, was dishing up the same chili which is served in the eatery.

She said another variety, known as “hunter’s chili” - which is usually only sold during deer season - was also served.

“It has extra spices in it,” she said.

Spicy or not, Cynde Cronin of Sand Lake thought the restaurant’s chili was spicy enough.

But Cronin thought the chili was good, as well as the festival’s reappearance.

“I think this is very good,” she said. “I think Hale needs this and it is good for the community.”

Another contest during the festival was an ice fishing tournament on Little Londo Lake.

Adults with winning fish included Dan Grimmes, Tawas, nine-inch sunfish; Queitin Johnson, Hale, 25-inch pike; Randy Prescott, Hale, six-inch perch.

Children with winning fish included Hunter Shay, Hale, 12-inch perch; T.J. Binger, Hale, 24-inch pike; Sheryl Valley, Hale, 24-inch, pike; Hunter Shay, Lupton, nine-inch crappie.