Race cars likely to compete on Lake George ice this weekend

LAKE GEORGE | This winter's recent frigid weather means that car ice racing will return to Lake George this weekend for the first time in several years. Combined with a forecast of temperate weather, the ice racing and other top attractions should draw a substantial crowd to Lake George Winter Carnival, set for Saturday, Feb. 12 and Sunday, Feb 13, event publicist Nancy Nichols said. "This last weekend there were so many people in Lake George — it was crazy," she said, adding that automotive ice racing is also likely to draw 1,000 or more spectators — it has been popular in Lake George since the mid-1960s. The sanctioned ice races, to be held both days, feature modified mini-cars, hopped-up sports cars, dirt-track racers and powerful bizarre homemade creations of automotive art. The races are conducted by the Adirondack Motor Enthusiasts Club, the leading organization of its kind in the northeast U.S. Founded in 1956, the club began racing on Lake George in 1965, and they've been continuing to do so each year that the ice has been thick enough to compete. Several of the race events allow tire studs that grind through layers of the lake's frozen surface, spitting up ice shards as they careen around curves, providing a spectacle for the crowd. Incoming Motor Enthusiasts Club president Dave Burnham of Delanson said Feb. 5 that ice racing on Lake George requires 12 inches of solid ice, and club representatives will be drilling holes through the lake surface to measure ice thickness. Burnham will be piloting a homemade racer with a cranked-up Maserati engine. Burnham said his club members haven't raced for two years because ice on lakes in the region hadn't been thick enough, and they are eager to race on Lake George this weekend. Races start at about 10 a.m. Saturday and Sunday and continue through 4 p.m. Burnham predicted that if the ice is adequate, as many as 80 racers will be racing. "Several of our old guys have hung up their helmets, but there will be a lot of other racers out on the ice," he said, noting that in past years, ice racers have come from across the northeastern U.S. to compete in Lake George. Winter Carnival officials said the races may attract 1,000 or more people to Lake George in addition to 2,000 or more visiting for other Carnival pursuits. FAMILY AND PET-FRIENDLY ACTIVITIES ABOUND Other featured activities this weekend include an ATV poker run and scavenger hunt — register at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at BeeBob's Backstreet Barbecue — for details call 518-685-5027. Saturday's events also include a barbecue cook-off from 12:30 p.m. until the chef-created concoctions are gone; tie-dyeing Winter Carnival T-shirts in the snow from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.; an ice diving demonstration, and snacking on s'mores or drinking hot chocolate beside a bonfire on Shepard Park Beach from 5:30 p.m. until supplies are gone. The day ends with a fireworks display over the lake beginning at 7 p.m., Nichols said, noting that the carnival is "pet friendly." Events on Sunday, Jan. 6 include complimentary sundaes from Stewarts's Shops with various toppings from noon until fixings are gone; and the afternoon includes open-mic live music — both instrumental and vocal — and karaoke from noon to 2 p.m. in Shepard Park amphitheater. Then at 2 p.m. Sunday, a keg-toss contest is to be held with a $50 prize — accompanied by a frying pan throwing competition; plus a snowman-building contest from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. ACTIVITIES ON BOTH SATURDAY AND SUNDAY A wide variety of activities are available both Saturday and Sunday, including children's crafts and games as well as pony rides from noon to 3 p.m., the polar plunge event at 3 p.m., the Dogs Got Talent contest at 2 p.m., plus cornhole games and chainsaw woodcarving demonstrations at noon. Throughout both days, helicopter excursions, horse-drawn carriage jaunts and sleigh rides will be available. See Winter Carnival's Facebook Weekend Two event page for full details. Nichols said that Weekend One of the carnival was extremely popular. "I've been involved with Winter Carnival for 30 years, and this is the largest crowd I've ever seen," she said, noting that parking spots were scarce, and she heard reports that all the village's hotels and motels were filled to capacity.

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Race cars likely to compete on Lake George ice this weekend

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