Old Orchard Beach Winter Carnival Canceled

OLD ORCHARD BEACH — The Winter Carnival has been canceled this year, due to lack of snow.

The Winter Carnival is an annual family-friendly event put on by local community group OOB365. It typically is held during school vacation week in February and attracts hundreds of people to the downtown with a sledding hill down the center of Old Orchard Street.

Recent warm temperatures have melted much of the snow in the area, and event organizers say there is not enough of the white stuff to create the sledding hill. The announcement was made on Monday by OOB365 officials in a Facebook post with a sad face emoji and the message “No Winter Carnival this year...no snow.”

OOB365 has plans in the works for several other community events this year, including a free community dinner from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on March 20 at American Legion Hall Post # 57 at 14 Imperial St. The dinner will celebrate the first day of spring with an Italian feast including lasagna, stuffed breads, tortellini and a variety of desserts. For more information, check out OOB365 on Facebook or go to the organization's website.

Publisher Liz Gotthelf can be reached at newsdesk@sacobaynews.com.