We, the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival Executive Board and Committee, wish to extend our thanks and gratitude to everyone that participated in making this year’s Winter Carnival a success.

IPW 101 did themselves proud with a 14-day window of cold temperatures and many happy volunteers cutting, poling, slushing and building an amazing Palace. The Ice sculptures were fantastic. The weather cooperated in allowing the Palace to remain open and lit for a full two weeks after Carnival ended! We had an amazing royal family, and the final Saturday was perfect weather for over 80 groups marching in the Gala Parade.

The Saranac Lake Winter Carnival is the oldest annual winter carnival in the eastern United States that began in 1897. Carnival was started 128 years ago as a way to embrace a long winter and promote outdoor sports and games. Over the years, Carnival has developed into a true homecoming for Saranac Lakers and visitors who take part in the numerous events offered by the Winter Carnival Committee. We have sponsors that give generously to allow the committee to provide these events at no cost to residents and visitors alike. We have numerous volunteers that work tirelessly for months planning countless events and activities. They spend long hours in cold weather building our beautiful symbol of Carnival, the Ice Palace. These people give much of themselves, are proud to be part of this long-standing tradition and want to ensure the experience of Winter Carnival continues for generations to come. These people are your neighbors, friends and co-workers.

Our all-volunteer committee starts meeting in September with open meetings to plan a successful event. We are responsible for all permits, insurances, planning, assisting IPW with building the Palace, getting infrastructure in place, social media, printed materials, parade/firework/sporting events, coronation, shows, dinners, etc. Carnival reserves by permit all the local park properties of the village for our events. In all, there are approximately 40-plus members of the Carnival Committee who happily come to get the job done. When asked about each event, the standard response is always, ”It’ll happen.” We are a 501c3 non-profit organization, with duly elected board members from this community. The executive board is composed of 11 elected positions and two appointed, all of which are in current terms since our conversion to a 501c3 last year. The executive board meets regularly to decide important policies, funding issues and internal management.

All of our official events are free. Our funding is from sponsors and merchandise sales. We are not government funded or constrained by any government agency outside of existing laws and regulations of the community. We are proud to have hosted Accessibility Day for two years in a row and Family Night for three years at the Ice Palace.

As Carnival has grown and become more popular, we as a committee meet every year to discuss what went right and what needs improvement to our event. This is traditionally held soon after Carnival, and before theme selection for the next year. Theme selection involves voting in-person, not via poll. We encourage participation.

As a result of the popularity of our Winter Carnival, we often need to review our policies and procedures to ensure our events meet the standards we’ve set. Our policies evolve to ensure the history and integrity of Winter Carnival are met every year. We are non-political and family-friendly, centered around the jewels of our 10-day event — the Ice Palace, the coronation of our local royalty, fireworks and the Gala Parade.

We do not allow any political or special interest issues in our parade, or at any of our events and permitted locations. Our parade chairpersons have a long-standing tradition for all local politicians to march together as a sign of goodwill and unity. Our parade application forms are updated to clarify our rules for participation, and can be accessed from our website at saranaclakewintercarnival.com.

Following this year’s parade, it was brought to our attention some subtle political criticisms from individual marchers in their groups. These were handled internally within the organizations who marched. Two local politically active groups applied to participate in the parade and were denied. One group graciously altered their float, which was a huge hit in the parade. This group was also informed they were not allowed to demonstrate their cause at the Ice Palace, and again, goodwill was achieved.

A major issue we face year after year is parking and access. This most recent Carnival, we opened up more space for handicap parking at the boat launch, trying to provide a balanced use of the area. Parking and access are a continuing topic every year.

And every year, Carnival volunteers at the Palace are treated with disrespect from a few who feel entitled, and we are placed in the position of holding back the crowds while the Palace site (for public safety) is swept of unexploded fireworks and removal of debris and equipment.

We are overwhelmed each year with requests to have local business events added to our website and schedule — a website we own and pay yearly fees to maintain. We are currently reviewing what we will include on our website and calendar in the future.

We value input and ask that those who are critical become more involved and informed, and at the very least, understand the limitations, restrictions and growing complexity of this event as well as our commitment to Winter Carnival, its history and continued family friendly traditions.

Yes, it’s true, we are very protective of Winter Carnival. We do this because we love Carnival and Saranac Lake, and we will continue to protect the legacy and tradition of our beloved 128-year-old event.

Again, thanks for the participation and for the fun!

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The Saranac Lake Winter Carnival Executive Committee is made up of president Jeff Branch, vice president Dean Baker, former president Rob Russell, secretary Nancy LaBombard, treasurer Marty Rowley, director Milt Adams, director Katrina Dearden, director Elle Finocan, director DJ Fowler, director Dave Rockefeller, historian Barb Martin and Ice Palace chair Joe Plumb.