Garden City to hold the Bear Lake Monster Winterfest starting Friday

A crowd watches a group of people jump into the ice cold waters of Bear Lake during the Bear Lake Monster Winterfest plunge.

GARDEN CITY – The Cisco are moving and the residents of Garden City and surrounding areas are gearing up for The Bear Lake Monster Winterfest, the biggest winter event of the year. The festivities will begin on Friday, Jan. 27, and go through to Sunday, Jan. 29.

The Chili Cook Off is a popular event at the Bear Lake Monster Winterfest.

There is a free event Friday from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the Logan Canyon Sinks area and the Bear Lake Overlook Rest Stop Area. Epic Recreation and Beaver Creek Lodge will have snowshoes, fat-tire bikes, snowmobiles and tubes for the kids to try out. They will also have free hot chocolate available to drink.

“People can try the different motorized and non-motorized equipment with instruction,” said Mark Smoot the Executive Director of the local Chamber of Commerce. “We have grooming permits with Forest Service so we groomed some trials for fat tire bikes, snowshoeing and cross country skiing at the rest stop and overlook.”

The Sportsman in Logan has lent some cross-country skis and equipment for people to tryout.

From 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. there is a social with family-friendly activities for children and the Taste of Bear Lake at Sunrise Resort. The Monster Taste of Bear Lake is where local restaurants will have their best food available for a reasonable cost. Tickets are $3 per person or more if a person wants to make a larger donation.

Garden City folks have it down after 13 years of hosting the Bear Lake Monster Winterfest.

There will be food trucks and winter market craft fair from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. at the marina on Saturday.

“The activities are to promote awareness that Bear Lake as a destination place,” Smoot said. “We want to get people up here to see what recreational opportunities there are up here.”

Saturday’s activities begin at Cisco Beach where the annual Monster Sisco Disco tournament will begin at 6 a.m. with judging from 11 a.m. to noon at the Marina. Entrance fees apply and a Utah fishing license is required.

“They judge the largest and smallest Cisco and give them a prize,” he said. “There is also a drawing and prizes given out throughout the tournament.”

There will also be a cisco fry during the tournament.

On Saturday, there are activities at Cisco Beach where the annual tournament will begin at 6 a.m. with judging from 11 a.m. to noon. Entrance fees apply and a Utah fishing license is required.

“They judge the largest and smallest Cisco and give them a prize,” Smoot said. “There is also a drawing and prizes given out throughout the tournament.”

There will also have a cisco fry during the tournament. The 5K Fun Run/Walk also starts at 10 a.m. with packet pickup from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.

There will be food trucks and a Winter Market craft fair from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. at the marina.

The Chili Cook-off is set for 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the marina with formal judging beginning at 1 p.m. The public is welcome to sample the chili after the judging. Prizes will be given at the awards ceremony.

The Monster Cardboard Boat Regatta takes place from 11 a.m. to Noon. It is getting almost as popular as the plunge. Participants can build their own boats at home and bring them. Contestants should check the rules and be as creative as they want to be.

The ever-popular Monster Plunge check-in will take place at 11 a. m. until 12:30 p.m. with the parade and judging starting at 1 p.m. at the marina.

A Monster Raffle will be going on at various times throughout the day from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m.

They are giving away thousands of dollars in prizes donated by businesses in Bear Lake and Rich County businesses.

The winners of the different categories for the Bear Lake Monster Plunge, the Monster Cardboard Boat Regatta, the Cisco Disco, Chili Cook Off and 5K will be given at the Saturday night awards ceremony after the fireworks show.

The ceremony will be held at the Sunrise Resort and Event Center located at 865 N., Harbor Village E. Dr, Garden City from 5:30 p.m. until 7 p.m.

The water temperature should be about 32 degrees and the outdoor temperature it’s going to be in the high 20’s to low 30’s.

The final event is a Sunday morning pancake breakfast from 8 a.m. until 11 a.m. sponsored by Cody’s Gastro Garage in Garden City. The cost of the all you can eat pancake breakfast is $5 for children and $10 for adults.

“Last year we donated $7,000 to the Family Place,” Smoot said. “We also was able to keep some to fund future events.”

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