photo credit: fincher69

Chautauqua County benefits from two bodies of water, Lake Erie and Chautauqua Lake. Chautauqua Lake being a more tranquil body of water provides a winter paradise for skaters, skiers and ice-fishing enthusiasts. The beauty of the lake when it is frozen over is a must see site.

There are many places to cross-country ski. You can select groomed trails, or head out near the lakes or Chautauqua Gorge. The peace and solitude of the outdoors at this time of year is amazing. Just make sure you dress warmly – the cold seems to hit you all at once.

Another favorite event for many are the horse-drawn sleigh rides on the grounds of Chautauqua Institution. This year they began Dec 26 and will run through Feb. The Chautauqua Institution Bookstore, which is open year-round, has tickets available for the event.

The annual Ice Castle Festival in Mayville is held in February. If weather conditions are good, and if there is enough ice in the lake, a castle is made from ice. The event kicks off with a parade, followed by a variety of other activities and competitions.

In 2009 the winter weather warmed up before the event. The committee was afraid the ice castle would melt before the weekend event. So they took a lesson from the Amish community in preserving ice during the warm months of summer. They filled the ice castle with snow and brought in many barrels of hay and packed around the castle to act as insulation. The bales were left in place until the unexpected warm weather left.

When the cold weather returned, the hay bales were removed to reveal a frozen and preserved ice castle. The castle construction crew then finished the castle in record time, creating a unique castle with an almost mythical history.

The 2010 ICE Festival will be held the weekend of Feb. 12-14 at Lakeside Park in Mayville. The winter event will also have a new name beginning with the 2010 festival – the President’s Day Weekend ICE Festival.

The Cool Jazz Festival runs in conjunction with the Ice Castle Festival. It’s quite an event with a variety of music at all the area restaurants, clubs and hotels.

And last but not least is the Snowflake Festival at the Audubon Center located just outside of Jamestown NY. This event, to be held Saturday February 6 offers snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, sledding, sleigh rides, and a variety of entertainment.