Winter dad-venture
- Dad
- Mar 17
- 2 min read
Updated: Mar 25
Be the thrill. See the thrill. Feel the thrill.
That was the tagline that got my attention. Ski-joring was the targeted activity of the day.
On Feb 25, 2025 my family climbed into the car. The weather was sunny and very cold.
We headed to Skowhegan, Maine with only a brief idea of what today’s Dad-venture would look like.
First stop was the New Balance Factory store to get some new shoes for my youngest daughter. As always, the huge brick building was fully staffed, quiet and full of bargains. It only took 15 min to find exactly what we needed.
Then, on to the Skowhegan State Fairgrounds. The trucks were lined up like it was a summer trip to the state fair. A bumpy ride to the back of the grounds and some help with parking by people in snowsuits and hi-viz vests brought us to the entrance gate. We walked between a line of bright yellow porta-potties with a welcome mat of salt and a cluster of people wanting to use the same. The line moved slowly and people were grumbling. It takes awhile to remove your snow gear on a day as cold as this one. There was an enthusiastic crowd in the stands. Designed to keep a crowd cool in the summer, the metal bleachers in the stands was jarring. Giant heaters that looked like they had seen better days created a small circle of warmth and a few huddled underneath. Skijoring takes many forms, but in each case a skier holds on to a rope and gets pelted around a snow-packed obstacle course. In Alaska is might be snowmobiles or teams of dogs, in some areas it is Ford F150’s. Skowhegan style, modeled on Montana’s winter rodeos, is a pairing of an equestrian with an alpine downhill skier. Soon the sound of the national anthem could be heard through crackling speakers as the first person was pulled behind their horse, holding aloft an American flag. The crowd roared and bellowed the Star Spangled Banner. Then the competition started. Some fell off their horses, some fell on the jumps and some just let go of the ropes, but a lucky few made it over the jumps and around the track.
Lunch was a casual affair with a handful of food trucks scattered in the area under the bleachers, huddled like chicks under a hen. Pasta from the Maine Meal hit the spot!
Our next stop was George’s Banana Stand, a cute a well-maintained grocery store decorated inside and out with a theme of monkey’s and bananas.
After George’s, we went to a single building that housed a variety of local stores.
We looked at yarn in https://peacelovehappyknits.com/
Had coffee and treats in https://mainstreetmaine.org/listing/maine-grains/
We saw T shirts that made us laugh, picture books on tapping maple trees and handrails covered in colorful knitting.
We window shopped and admired everything,but ultimately bought nothing. Our hearts were set on one last treat – Fielder’s Choice ice creams before we called it a day.
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