PINEDALE — Main Street Pinedale’s biggest fundraiser of the year turns frightful weather into a delightful celebration of snow. The 2024 Pinedale Winter Carnival, held over President’s Weekend, from Feb. 9-11, is a family-friendly event that dates back to the 1950s and features skijoring, SnoCross races, a snow sculpture contest, the Cardboard Classic downhill sledding competition and now a hotdog eating contest.

The newly added event was announced on Thursday, Dec. 28, by the Sublette County Visitor Center, Sublette County Chamber of Commerce and Main Street Pinedale. Contestants in the hotdog eating contest will be split up into three divisions where they’ll compete for cash and trophies. The contest will be held on Friday, Feb. 9, beginning at 6 p.m. in the Lovatt Room at the Sublette County Library in Pinedale. A cash bar along with signups for skijoring will also be available at the event.

Local sponsors and participants are needed. Sponsors will receive logo presentations and be mentioned during the event. Donations of any amount are appreciated, but suggested levels are $250, $500 and $1,000.

The nonprofits organizing the event are hoping to raise about $4,000 to cover the costs of all three hotdog eating contests, including supplies, prizes and trophies. Those interested in helping out or signing up to down some dogs should contact Sublette County Visitor Center Executive Director Peter Paulin at 307-367-3419.

A good cause

Main Street Pinedale, a nonprofit organization run by volunteers, took over the winter carnival in 2016 and the event now provides an economic boost to the community and local businesses. Money raised at the two-day carnival is used to fund economic development and operate the farmers markets, downtown beautification, business façade grants and historic preservation.

Skijoring

More than 120 teams registered to skijor in the 2023 Pinedale Winter Carnival, with folks traveling from all over Wyoming and the Mountain West to compete at the Pinedale Rodeo Grounds. During the timed, Skijor USA-sanctioned event, a skier is pulled by a horse and rider over a 700-foot-long course, navigating moguls and collecting rings to avoid penalties. Skijoring begins Saturday and Sunday at 10 a.m. An award ceremony will take place on Sunday, Feb. 11, beginning at 6 p.m. at Stockman’s in Pinedale.

Snow sculptures

As part of the snow sculpture contest, teams use hand tools such as trowels, saws, buckets and picks to manipulate 4’ x 4’ x 8’ blocks of hardpacked snow into works of art. Artists may carve their blocks from Tuesday, Feb. 6 through Friday, Feb. 9. The final works are then judged through a public poll and the winner is announced at Saturday’s skijoring event.

Cardboard Classic

The Cardboard Classic starts Saturday at the Burzlander Sledding Hill at the bottom of Fremont Lake Road and features contraptions of all sizes and complexities in three categories of competition: Junior, age 12 and under, Teen/Adult, age 13 and up, and Family, plus Most Creative Craft. Sleds used by competitors in this event must be constructed solely of cardboard, duct tape, glue and paint. All other materials are prohibited. Participants are encouraged to dress in costumes to complement the themes of their cardboard crafts. Registration is at 1 p.m. on Saturday, with a 2 p.m. start time for sledding.

Snow Ball

The Wind River Brew Pub hosts the Snow Ball, with live music, dancing and delicious food from 7-10:30 p.m., on Saturday, Feb. 10. The band has yet to be announced.

Snowmobile races

The Kids’ 120CC and 200CC SnoCross snowmobile races follow Sunday’s skijoring. The event continues to grow in popularity amongst area youth. Tiny tots navigate child-sized snowmobiles over a makeshift course with age-appropriate ramps at the Pinedale Rodeo Grounds.

For more information about the organization, registration forms, rules, information about horse boarding for skijoring, vendor forms and additional information about our favorite winter weekend can be found at www.mainstreetpinedale.com/winter-carnival.

*Editor’s note: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Sammy Steele & the Spades would perform during the Snow Ball, but Main Street Pinedale has not finalized the band. Additionally, it was incorrectly reported that the Yukon Cornhole Tournament would be held again this year, but the event is not a part of the 2024 Pinedale Winter Carnival. This editor regrets the errors and appreciates the opportunity to correct them.