Winterlude, Empire Games open

Skaters on Ottawa's Rideau Canal during Winterlude. Photo: Judy Andrus Toporcer, Pierrepont NY. NCPR Photo of the Day archive, Winter 2010.

Two notable events missing from our survey of  wintry revelry Friday.

The entire length of the Rideau Skateway opened, ushering in the opening of Ottawa’s Winterlude. The annual carnival runs through Feb. 20.  Ice carving underway.

Our Ottawa area correspondent, Lucy Martin, says the conditions vary, as we can imagine, from poor to very good. Find ice conditions here or at 613-239-5234. Lucy says there’s very little “real winter” in Ottawa either this time around.

Saranac Lake High School students in the Empire State Winter Games torch run pass by the town hall in downtown Saranac Lake. Photo: Mark Kurtz.

If you’ve never been to Ottawa for Winterlude, or to just skate on the Canal, I highly recommend a visit. It’s easy to rent skates, and it’s a shame to go a whole winter without  that signature canal-side piece of fried dough, the beavertail.

And from the folks in Lake Placid, the Empire State Winter Games opened Thursday night with the parade of athletes, and a skating show at the Olympic Arena. Organizers say 1,000 athletes will be competing this weekend.

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