Platte River State Park offers winter activities

Posted by: Abigail Wood

awood@klkntv.com

People may be tempted to avoid the outdoors in the winter, but Platte River State Park hosted an event today to show the magic of snowy park days.

The event was a Yule Log Festival, modeling it after a Scandinavian tradition.

"It was a fire where they would put the log on the fire to scare away the night," said park supervisor Bill Oligmueller. "It’s usually done around the winter solace so that it starts longer days."

Many people showed up, going in teams to quest for the yule log. There were stations along the way, such as targets for paintball practice and log stacking competitions.

The park supervisor says the parks have a lot of winter activities to offer, things like snowshoeing, skating, and more.

"There’s a lot of wild life viewing in the winter," Oligmueller said. "We have bald eagles that go over the Platte River. There’s a lot of turkey’s, there’s a lot of deer. It’s a great opportunity for families to get their kids outside."

There were also crafts available for children, and after they found the yule log it was placed on a big bonfire. The park also offered lighted hayrides.