Snow or no snow, Winterfest is a go.

– Hart Main Street photo

Snow or no snow, Winterfest is a go.

By Allison Scarbrough, Editor.

HART – It has been a lackluster winter for snow accumulation, but that is not stopping organizers from holding the Ninth Annual Hart Winterfest the weekend of Feb. 1 and 2.

“It’s going to be a great day in downtown Hart,” said Hart Main Street Manager Julie Kreilick.

A new event added to the celebration last year is the Vintage Snowmobile Show, which takes place on State Street between Washington and Main streets Saturday, Feb. 2, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Registration begins at 9 a.m. in the Hart Main Street office. Categories are 1969 and older, 1970-1974, 1975-1979 and 1980-1990. The featured sled is John Deer.

“The snowmobile event has exploded,” said Kreilick. “It’s a whole new way to celebrate winter. We’re getting calls from Ohio and Indiana. It’s bringing in a new audience.” Participation in Winterfest has more than doubled since the snowmobile show was added, she said.

The Annual State Street Mile Walk/Run begins Saturday at 11 a.m. at the corner of Polk Road and State Street. Registration, which is $10, goes from 10-10:45 a.m. in the Hart Main Street office. Participants receive a Hart logo hat. Shuttle service will be available to transport runners to the starting line.

The Soup ‘R Bowl Cook-Off runs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the following businesses: Hart Pizza, Big Hart Brewing Company (in Hegg’s Gallery of Fine Furniture), La Probadita, Soup the Day Cafe, Kristi’s Pour House, La Fiesta, Merten’s Farmhouse Market and Catering, the Bakery on the Corner and Pink Elephant Diner. Tickets are $5 and are available at the Hart Main Street office.

“I can’t emphasize enough how great our eateries do putting out great soup,” Kreilick said.

The Annual Broomball Tournament kicks off the festivities Friday, Feb. 1, at 6:30 p.m. in the parking lot at the southwest corner of State and Main streets next to La Probadita. Participants can sign up at the Hart Main Street office prior to the tournament or at the event.

Winterfest in Hart takes place just one weekend prior to back-to-back Winterfest events in Pentwater, Feb. 9 and 16.

Winterfest is not “weather dependent,” the Hart Main Street manager said. “The only things that could stop us would be a blizzard or a downpour.”

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Tags: hart, Hart Main Street, Winterfest