Chill in the Park provides winter wonderland

The Western Community Centre provided a snow-filled winter wonderland on Friday, July 17 at the annual Chill in the Park event in Hamilton.

Twelve tonnes of snow came pouring in to Elliot Park in Nawton allowing four hours of school holiday entertainment for all ages.

The snow came from Auckland by truck and took a team of volunteers and students from Hamilton’s Fraser High School more than an hour to spread out.

This is the fifth Chill in the Park event and it has been the biggest yet, with more than 1000 children attending.

The event provided a wide range of entertainment including face painting, on-stage performances, and activities featuring Disney Frozen.

With the sun gleaming, children enjoyed throwing snowballs and making snowmen. The couple of rain showers did not dampen the crowd’s spirits.

Hamilton mother of two, Kelly Newson and her youngest son, Pheonix, 3, attended the event for their first time.

“I thought it was really awesome, really good day. The snowball fight with the kids was the best thing for me, except the wet snow down my top wasn’t so nice, a bit chilly,” Newson said with a laugh.

Newson said Phoenix enjoyed playing in the snow and “throwing snowballs at Mummy”.

Pheonix said he enjoyed eating candyfloss the most. The sugary treat proved to be popular on the day with a steady line in front of the numerous food stalls.

Western Community Centre manager Neil Tolan said: “It’s important for us that all children in our community can enjoy a fun and memorable holiday experience. We are sure the day will be a holiday highlight for many of our children returning to school this week.”