By Ben Olson
Reader Staff
The annual Winter Carnival spans from Feb. 14-23, featuring a bevy of events, including everything from parades to parties.
Here’s an edited schedule of events for the second and final week. Check sandpointwintercarnival.com for a full lineup of events.
Friday, Feb. 21
Starlight Race Series
Courtesy photo.
Races, parties, prizes, music, beer — what more could you ask for?
The theme for this year’s race series is “The Great GatSKI!” Roaring ’20s on skis and snowboards. Teams of five include male or female skier, snowboarder, telemark or any combination of the three. The top three scores per team each week count, using the Starlight handicapping system. Weekly team scores will count for the final team score. There will be nightly parties in Taps featuring live music for the final party, as well as prizes. Helmets are required to race.
Chili Cook-Off
Do you have a bomb chili recipe? For the third year, Pierce Auto Center will crown the champion chili chef. Enter your dish by 3 p.m. Judging will be completed by 4:45 p.m. and prizes will be awarded by 5:30 p.m. The address is 30 Gun Club Road in Sagle.
Saturday, Feb. 22
Weird & Wonderful Pub Crawl
The fourth annual Weird & Wonderful beerfest and bar crawl features 28 themed beers available in 14 of Sandpoint’s finest imbibing establishments. Weird and wonderful costumes/attire are welcome. Each location will have two beers on tap from 2-6 p.m. Souvenir glassware is available for purchase, as well.
Snow fort Bonfire
Join Utara Brewing Co. and Greasy Fingers Bikes ’n’ Repair for a snow fort bonfire. Enjoy your favorite Utara beverages around the fire and marvel at Brian and Dave’s snow fort building skills from dusk to 9 p.m. at 214 Pine St. in Sandpoint.
Sunday, Feb. 23
Eichardt’s K-9 Keg Pull
It wouldn’t be the Winter Carnival without the Eichardt’s K-9 Keg Pull. This endearing event will take place on Cedar Street between Second and Third avenues this year. Watch neighborhood dogs of all sizes pull everything from full-size kegs to beer cans amid the gauntlet of cheering spectators on the snow-packed course. Pre-registration takes place at 10:15 a.m. with races from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. There’s a $10 entry fee per dog, which benefits the Panhandle Animal Shelter. This unique event is a great time for the entire family, dogs included. Awards will follow the festivities.
Get the Girls Out
It’s the fifth anniversary of Get the Girls Out at Schweitzer Mountain Resort. Once again, the ladies will don leis and shake their grass skirt tutus from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to bring the spirit of the luau to the mountain. This event is presented by SheJumps, a Sandpoint-based nonprofit organization with a mission to increase the participation of girls and women in outdoor activities. SheJumps promotes fun, low-cost educational and social events for women, as well as providing free youth programs, including Wild Skills, a day camp for girls ages 5-14 years.
There will be activities for all ages and abilities, including crowning a “Queen of the Greens,” hunting for the elusive Golden Girafficorn, runs down the NASTAR course, an over-the-top raffle and much more. Each participant will receive one raffle ticket. Cost to attend is $10, with proceeds benefiting SheJumps. More information at shejumps.org.
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Coming up this week! Don’t miss Festivus, Skiing with Santa, Hogwire, and more! See the full list of events in the 
