By Tom Maginnis
Correspondent

NEWBURYPORT — After a week of severe cold and heavy snow, the weather finally cooperated. Crisp blue skies and mild temperatures greeted the first Winter Carnival on Bartlet Mall on Saturday.

The carnival, organized by the city Parks & Recreation Commission with help from the Newburyport Youth Commission and a number of local schools and businesses, got off to a roaring start in the morning.

The improved weather conditions helped draw estimates of close to 1,000 participants and spectators over the course of the daylong event, with crowds peaking in the early afternoon with as many as 600 people at one point.

"Better than we could have ever hoped," said David Keery, one of the event's main organizers, when asked about the turnout.

Continuous free skating and sledding activities were mixed with exhibitions, contests and performances throughout the day. Ice conditions were less than ideal despite the extensive efforts of many organizers and volunteers. The bitter cold and pesky snowfalls of the previous week hampered repeated attempts to smooth the ice surface, which forced a figure skating exhibition to be canceled. Several rough patches of the skating area also contributed to a few leg injuries and one broken wrist reported by the American Red Cross aid station, along with a number of minor bumps and scrapes.

The conditions didn't stop the Newburyport Mite hockey teams from taking the ice for an exhibition game, however, as the end-to-end action drew cheers from the many spectators around the Mall.

The vast amounts of snow that caused headaches for the ice crews proved to be a boon for the sledding events. A series of ramps and jumps were the highlight of a snow park that ran along the northwest corner of the Mall.

Tom Eramo, with help from Michael Duratti and a backhoe from Wickson Construction, spent approximately eight hours building ramps and sled runs of various sizes that were popular with kids and adults, who used sleds, tubes and snowboards of every description.

The copious amounts of snow also inspired a number of handmade creations as part of a snow sculpture contest.

Judges awarded first prize to Shawn Welch, who won a number of gift certificates from local businesses for his "Giant Skate" sculpture. The team of Eric Jalajas, Alex Sceery and Drew Carter spent two hours crafting their entry, titled "Shark Attack," which took home second place.

"We should have gotten first place," Drew protested, while Eric conceded that the "giant skate was well made." They all planned to return next year to try to claim the top prize.

When asked what he thought about the Winter Carnival, Alex Sceery said, "I think it's a really good idea for Newburyport. It's like a winter Yankee Homecoming."

The day's events started with opening remarks from Mayor Mary Anne Clancy, who was instrumental in coordinating various city departments to help make the Winter Carnival happen once the event leaders, Patty Spaulding, David Keery and Andy Hawks, first proposed the idea to revive this city tradition that dates back to the 1920s.

All the speakers expressed amazement at the number of volunteers and local organizations that contributed to make the carnival a reality. The list of thanks and appreciation to all the various businesses, foundations, societies and clubs involved was extensive. Special note was made on several occasions in thanking the Newburyport Fire Department for donating hoses and generators for the ice preparation, the Nock and River Valley schools and the Newburyport Youth Commission for helping organize the events, and the White Hen Pantry for providing complimentary hot chocolate, coffee and cookies.

Andy Hawks singled out the Institute for Savings and Newburyport Bank in particular for their contribution of snow-removal equipment that would be invaluable in keeping the Frog Pond in good skating condition for many winters to come.

Geordie Vining of the city planning office, who is overseeing the Bartlet Mall restoration project, stressed the need to raise further funds to complete the renovation that is scheduled to take place later this year.

A Frog Pond Skating Club has formed in the wake of the Winter Carnival in hopes of providing a public skating facility for all residents to enjoy each winter.

"Every cent of the Frog Pond Skating Club money will be donated to the upkeep of this ice every year, and it is a way that we can maintain these vehicles and we can instruct volunteers and get them out there to clean the ice. There is already talk about next year of organizing a hockey tournament on the Mall and being able to provide skating lessons to little kids out there," announced Hawks.

Reflecting on the importance of events such as this one, Patty Spaulding, one of the event leaders, said, "I think it is more about the community and seeing the gathering of the people together for a free, fun day of entertainment for the family. And it is great for the community because it gets people out and you bump into people you wouldn't normally see most of the time."

Spaulding, who has fond memories of gatherings by a local group known as the JayCee's during the 1970s, would like to pass those memories on to the next generation.

"When I was a kid growing up here, we used to come down and the JayCee's used to have a family skate with hot chocolate and donuts down on the ice at night. It's really something we'd like to try and resurrect again. I am so thrilled to see all these people. It sends chills up my spine because I have such warm memories of that that I'm thinking, 'I want that for my kids. I want them to have that same feeling.' So it is just amazing how many people have pulled together and come out to volunteer time and effort to do this. It's just been tremendous."

Late in the day, Keery paused a moment to assess the events and said, "The great thing is to look around and to see things happening in every corner; even in places we hadn't planned events, they've found events to make. That's what it's all about."

When looking ahead to repeating the Winter Carnival next year, Keery said, "It's a lot of work, but I think everyone that's been involved with it is going to keep going in some capacity. And next time with the donations we will be ready. We will be on it."