Bon Soo kicked-off in the cold Friday

Bon Soo kick-off Friday night in Sault Ste. Marie, with nine more days of winter fun on the agenda.

Hundreds braved the evening’s frigid temperatures to be the first ones down the always popular bum slides.

The first night of the carnival gave attendees an unconventional way to warm-up in the extremely cold temperatures; fire dancers. The group called Hoop You drew a large crowd with many watching as they made their way to the slides.

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With the exception of snow carver, Rob Amadio, Friday afternoon was the calm before the storm as one of Ontario’s oldest and largest winter carnivals was preparing for all the events through Feb. 11.

The Best in Snow - Soo Mill’s Snow Carving competition is back by popular demand and Amadio had already spent more than ten hours working on his sculptures are Clergue Park.

He is amoung a number of teams that have until Feb. 4 to create something unique for the carnival contest.

“Normally we work with wood, chainsaw carving, but with snow this is our first go at it,” said Amadio.

“It’s been a learning curve for sure, but so far I’m enjoying it even though it’s pretty cold out today.”

The sculptures and return of the bum slides are only some of the many draws as the 60th edition of Bon Soo, ‘Bon Soo Revived.’

Hockey and ringette tournaments, utilize the rink, with other events scheduled throughout the city.

While Friday’s cold temperatures did not seem to keep people away and the forecast calls for the weather to warm-up as the carnival continues, organizers are prepared, with about 135 indoor activities planned as well, including performances, dances and more to keep the community involved.

“Well they’ve always said ‘Bon Soo warms up winter,’” said Sault mayor Matthew Shoemaker.

“It’s not warm out there today, but I think it warms up the spirits of the community for sure.”

“We’re busy, we’re excited at the same time,” said the carnival’s manager, Jeany White.

“We’re working hard, there’s lots of people in the community who are digging deep to make this happen.”

After downsized versions of the carnival the last few years due to the pandemic organizers told CTV News they hope to see a resurgence of Bon Soo and fully expect to be near capacity for the week plus of fun.

“I think people will be either new to Bon Soo coming here in future years or getting bigger crowds within our hometown,” said White.

“We love people from out of town, we love to host people. It’s all about a community and working together and enjoying the winter in a way most people don’t.”

Shoemaker said he hopes that in future years Bon Soo reclaims its title as Ontario’s biggest winter carnival.

A full schedule of events can be found here and more information on the carnival and its history can be found on the Bon Soo website.

Bon Soo kick-off Friday night in Sault Ste. Marie., with nine more days of winter fun on the agenda. (Supplied)