WANAKENA -- The Adirondack White Out Weekend in Wanakena, Oswegatchie, Fine, Clifton and Star Lake will take place this weekend, Friday, Feb. 17-Sunday, Feb. 19. The festival is a free community event held annually on President's Weekend, featuring races, snowmobiling, food, music, frying pan tosses, exhibits, dog sled rides, puppets, skating and children’s activities.

A Light Up the Night Kick-off in Wanakena starts the festivities at 6 p.m. at Otto's Abode Friday. Otto’s is hosting the Wanakena Historical Association's Winter Photography Contest Opening Reception. There will be public voting on contest winners, live music and hot drinks inside. Outside, snow croquet and a bonfire will be underway. Prizes for the evening will be furnished by professional photographer, Kristin Rehder (kvrehder.com).

Festival goers will be lighting luminaries across the Wanakena Footbridge bridge in honor, memory or celebration. A silent auction benefiting WOW ends at 9 p.m.

The Pine Cone Grill will be open afterwards for hot toddies, food, live music and a bonfire.

WOW gets restarted at 8 a.m. Saturday at the Clifton-Fine Arena in Star Lake when the local Bobcats youth hockey team faces off against an opponent.

Curling, sponsored by Deborah Body, will be available at the arena from noon-3 p.m. for festival goers, and free open skating will be from 5-8 p.m.

At 9 a.m. Saturday in Oswegatchie at U-B’s Mercantile will be the Wintery Frosting Standoff cake decorating competition. Registrations are required by Thursday, Feb. 16. Forms can be downloaded from the WOW website, http://www.adkwow.com/.

The children’s competition for ages 6 to 16 years will begin at 9 with cupcakes; adult cake decorators start at 10. Cake and decorating supplies will be included in the entry fee. Theme is Winter Wonderland. Half the proceeds will be distributed as prize money and donated to the White Out Weekend committee.

The Clifton-Fine Golf Course in Star Lake will host team relay races from 9-11 a.m. Saturday, with heats every half-hour until 10:30. There will be post-race recovery drinks and snacks offered. Registration forms can be downloaded from the Website.

Dog sled presentations by Brian Heft, TrailMark Dog Sled Team and Northland Veterinary Hospital, and a KidZone Outdoor Play event will take place from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at Clifton-Fine school in Star Lake. There will be dog sled rides for children 12-years-old and younger. Donations will be accepted for the rides.

Inside the school, a WOW welcome center will be set up with souvenirs and a family meeting place. Concessions will be sold and raffles held.

A Winter of Wonder children's event will be the focal point at the school, STEM stations will be set up by Nicholas Gardner, DDS and SUNY ESF Ranger School; and there will be art projects, mega puzzle painting, Kid's Stage dress-up/pretend play, story time and games.

A Kid's Puppet Theatre, designed/built by the Clifton-Fine Central high school students in Mr. Griffin's Construction Systems and Design & Drawing for Production class, will be presented by Adirondack Pharmacy.

NYS Zoo presentations will also be presented by Adirondack Pharmacy and a “Fun & Healthy Snack” will be offered by Wilderness HealthCare Foundation.

Over at the Star Lake fire department, from 12:30-3 p.m. Saturday, there will be a junior firefighter course. Children will be able to try on equipment, move through obstacles and see the fire trucks. There will be a special appearance by Smokey Bear, the local forest rangers and DEC from 12:30-1.

The Western Adirondack Exhibit Center (SOS, Old Schoolhouse) will host an open house from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Hot drinks will be available and the train will in operation. Attendees will get a tour of the center and its displays on Newton Falls Paper Mill, Five Ponds and more. Children will be able to play with our new children's wooden train with Thomas engines, receive a free railway hat, color a train picture to enter in a coloring contest and listen to a reading about trains.

There will be a frying pan toss contest at Coffee Fever at 11 a.m. The event will feature men's and women's divisions with prizes. There will be a small entrance fee.

The Western Adirondack Presbyterian Church (the a-frame building adjacent to Nice N Easy) will be staging several events Saturday. At 11 a.m. the Noteworthy Handbell Choir will perform. Light refreshments will follow the performance. The Canton Goldenaires Barbershop a cappella group will sing at 3:30 p.m.; and there will be chicken and biscuit dinner in the church basement at 5.

The American Legion at 1539 Benson Mines Golf Course Rd, left after Coffee Fever on Route 3, Star Lake, will have DJ Blind Andy spinning from 9 p.m.-1 a.m.

At the Clifton-Fine Golf Course there will be cross country skiing, snowshoing and sledding, from sunrise to sunset.

The Pine Cone Grill, Wanakena, will stage a snowmobile trivia fun run from 9 a.m.-4 p.m., with a pig roast and hot toddies at 3 p.m.

At Otto's Abode, the Wanakena Historical Association Winter Photography Show with public voting will take place from 10 a.m.-8 p.m., with snow croquet and a photo booth outside. And, from 11 a.m.-3 p.m., the Audubon Society's Great Backyard Birdcount will be hosted by local birder Wayne Allen.

The Ranger School in Wanakena will step off a group snowshoe to Big Pine at 1 p.m.

Snowmobiling with local snowmobile clubs will be from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Sevey's Point, with raffles, BBQ and a bonfire.

Contra and Square Dancing to live and lively Celtic, Old Time and French Canadian fiddle music will be held Saturday from 6:30-9 p.m. at the Cranberry Lake Fire Department. All are welcome, admission is free and refreshments will be served.

White Out Weekend continues Sunday with the photograpy show, snow croquet and birdcount station at Otto’s in Wanakena from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

The Ranger School will stage a Find the Yeti geo-cache hunt starting at 11 a.m. Cachers are asked to meet in front of the school. An Adirondack Raptors presentation by Bannon Engineering will take place at 1 p.m. in the school’s second floor classroom.

Over at the Cranberry Lake Fire Hall, a quilt and artisan show will be offered from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. There will be raffles and a canvas and cocoa class from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Pre-register by calling 315-848-3008 or stop by Coffee Fever or Otto’s. The cost is $25 and a $10 deposit is required.

Clifton Community Center will screen the movie “Secret Life of Pets” in the community room, downstairs at 11 a.m.

The Clifton Town Museum will hold an open house starting at noon, with town historian Mark Friden.

Clifton Community Library will host the Pete & Chris Magic Show, in their community room, at 2 p.m. Sunday.

There will also be more dog sled presentations by Brian Heft Sunday, with rides for kids 12 and younger. Donations for rides are accepted. There are only 20 spots available, however.

Finally, Star Lake and Clifton Fine fire departments will host an ice rescue training demo at 1 p.m., at the DEC building on River Road.

For more information about White Out Weekend, log onto http://www.adkwow.com/.