The theme was chosen from a slate of the top five ideas generated at the Committee’s March meeting: Age of Aquarius (1960s), Celtic Carnival, Fiesta, Under the Big Top and Under the Sea.

“This was a difficult decision; all the themes had great merits,” said Winter Carnival Chairman Jeff Dickson. “But I think the entire community will be able to have a lot of fun with ‘Under the Sea’ as they did with this year’s theme of ‘Space Alien Invasion.’”

When making their decision, Committee members weighed a number of factors, including whether a theme could fit well in the parade and the construction of the Ice Palace and generate suitable music for the slide show and the myriad of festivities during the 10-day-long event. They also took into consideration several polls taken throughout the community, such as the online poll sponsored by the Adirondack Daily Enterprise.

“We appreciate the community’s input and the ongoing support of our local newspaper, the Adirondack Daily Enterprise, in helping us choose a fun and exciting theme for the 2013 Winter Carnival,” Dickson said.

The poll results were: Celtic Carnival, 33 percent; Age of Aquarius (1960s), 26 percent; Under the Sea, 14 percent; Under the Big Top, 13 percent; and Fiesta, 12 percent. Other informal polls – at the Committee’s volunteer recognition dinner, among the Ice Palace workers, and with students at St. Bernard’s Elementary School – showed more support for Under the Sea and Fiesta.

“We use all these polls as tools to help us make a decision,” Dickson said. “Unfortunately, we can only pick one a year, but we are fortunate to have such strong ideas for future years.”

In the end, Committee members chose “Under the Sea,” the No. 3 pick in the Enterprise poll but the No. 1 pick at St. Bernard’s School.

“We think the kids will be happy,” Dickson said. “They swayed our vote with Space Alien Invasion this past year, and it was a lot of fun.”

The Saranac Lake Winter Carnival Committee, Inc. is a not-for-profit group of volunteers dedicated to organizing an annual mid-winter festival during the first two weeks of February. This 10-day, communitywide event traces its roots to a one-day Carnival held in 1897 by the Pontiac Club. The Carnival honors its heritage every year by building an Ice Palace from blocks of ice harvested from Lake Flower’s Pontiac Bay, where Carnival events have been traditionally held for generations. For more information, visit the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival web site at www.saranaclakewintercarnival.com. The 2013 Carnival will take place Feb. 2-11.

Carnival is a memorable time for everyone and sometimes you’re not there to catch that perfect picture. Good news! You can look through an assortment of  many photos (past and present) of  Winter Carnival events from either Shutterfly.com where images are contributed by Mark Kurtz as well as BackPrint.com where images are contributed by Mike and Gayle Vancukynas and Faye and Pat Hendrick.

All proceeds go to The Saranac Lake Winter Carnival.

2-11-12One of the aliens that popped out of the top of the Home Energy float in the 2012 Saranac Lake Winter Carnival Parade.

2-11-12 "Alien germs" were attacked by scientist "germ busters" for a float by Historic Saranac Lake and Trudeau Institute.

2-11-12 A alien nurse with St Josephs Addiction & Recovery Treatment Center.

2-11-12 St Bernard's School brought some alien color to the Winter Carnival Parade.

2-10-12 Coming from "far, far away", some very strange alien spaceships landed in the town hall in the form of the Rotary Dancers.

2-10-12 Crackin' Foxy gave the audience some swing/jazz, of which several members of the Court and Royalty took to the dance floor.

2-10-12 Sue Grimm and Steve Borst opened the Winter Carnival Rotary Show with the traditional "Village by the River" as King Tim and Queen Kelly entered the hall.

2-9-12 Elegance graced the ice at the 25th Annual Meineker Memorial Skating.

2-10-12 Racers are off on the start of their run in the Adirondack Bank Inner Tube Races at Mt Pisgah

2-10-12 Winter Carnival Chamberlain Josh Marlow gets a push for the start of his inner tube race at Mt Pisgah.

Of the other 98 signed posters, one has been retained for our archives and the remaining 97 have been sold. We thank Mr. Trudeau for making this possible and everyone else for their incredible response to this fund-raising effort. Unsigned copies are available at Winter Carnival Headquarters, Ampersound, Bear Essentials and the Chamber of Commerce.

2011 Inside View of Castle. Purchase photos from our links below.

Carnival is a memorable time for everyone and sometimes you’re not there to catch that perfect picture. Good news! You can look through an assortment of  many photos (past and present) of  Winter Carnival events from either BackPrint.com or Shutterfly.com

All proceeds go to The Saranac Lake Winter Carnival

Opening of the Winter Carnival Headquarters

The Saranac Lake Winter Carnival Committee would like to announce the opening of our Headquarters at the Adirondack Business Center (next to Lake View Deli & across from the Ice Palace) on Saturday, January 28^th 2012 at 2pm.  We will be open from 10-5 Sunday the 29^th through Friday, February10th and on Saturday February 11^th (parade day) from 8:30-12 noon.  We will have Carnival buttons, Winter Carnival Souvenirs, and lots of alien accessories.  We will also be selling raffle tickets for the #100 signed Gary Trudeau 2012 Carnival Poster.  The winner will be announced at the end of carnival.  In celebration of our 115^th year tradition we will have some great old photos of ice palaces and past carnival royalty.

The Headquarters will have schedules and a great group of volunteers to answer your carnival questions as well.  Please stop by for a visit and we look forward to seeing you!  We would also like to thank Clarkson University for their generous donation of their space.

Have a Happy Alien Invasion!

The 2012 Winter Carnival Committee gather for a group picture after the January 25th meeting.