An integral part of the winter carnival celebrations in Crysler, eight people rocked for 24 hours and continued the legacy of Tony Brière. From the left, front row: Alec Secchi. Second row: Claude Quesnel, Dan Richer, Kyle Linnett, Luc Rochon and Alim Manji. Back row: Kevin Lapp and Crash. Thompson Goddard Photo

CRYSLER – For 60 years, Crysler and area volunteers have provided people with an exciting way to celebrate winter and the Carnaval 2026 Carnival was no exception. The 60th anniversary carnival featured two weekends of fun stretching from Feb. 7 through to Feb. 15.

“Thank you to all the community sponsors for supporting our 60th winter carnival” commented Martine Quesnel, one of the team of organizers for the event. She continued how it was an amazing weekend and was very appreciative of the support for the activities shown by the community.

The first winter carnival in Crysler was held in 1965 and, fortunately for the community, two women in Crysler collected and protected the history of the event. Quesnel mentioned how a Mme. Armand Gibeault kept a scrapbook of clippings and Mme. Champagne had lots of past winter carnival pictures with both women providing to the carnival organizers these important historical documents.

The 2027 winter carnival began with a kick-off at Heroes & Zeroes Sports Bar in Crysler, which included a pool tournament as well as a crib tournament. Danielle Linnett mentioned there was also a snowmobile rally which raised just over 700 dollars for the Kids Park in the village. She continued the Euchre Night on Feb. 10 and the Winter Carnival Bingo evening on Feb. 11 were both well-attended.

Linnett described the Mobile Escape Night, held on Thurs., Feb. 12 at the Crysler Community Centre, as “super well attended.” She mentioned there were three escape rooms set up in the community centre, with Quesnel mentioning the teams had 40 minutes to escape. There was a “Great turn out and much appreciated by the participants.” commented Quesnel in a message after the carnival ended.

Friday night featured the time-honoured “French Canadian Dinner” at the community centre, which featured pork stew, meat pie, and potatoes. Following dinner, people were able enjoy French Canadian singing and square dancing to the music of Louis Racine & Les Pourquoi Pas.

Saturday and Sunday were packed full of fun activities for people of all ages. These included the opportunity to create crafts, enjoy the fun associated with Junk Yard Symphony, a Glow in the Dark Dance Party and public skating.

At 5 p.m. a very special event at the Crysler Winter Carnival began, Tony’s Rock-a-thon. Eight community members rocked in rocking chairs with a goal of 24 hours in memory of Tony Brière. This gentleman was a restaurant owner who raised funds in the early 1970’s for children’s sports in the community.

The rockers, several of whom are Crysler firefighters, raise funds in memory of this community spirited gentleman in support of the outdoor rink and spend 24 hours at the community centre. Former North Stormont Fire Services Station 2 Deputy Chief Kevin Lapp explained the Crysler fire station promotes and organizes the Rock-a-thon. Lapp noted that North Stormont Fire Station 2 Deputy Chief Dan Richers has taken over this important role since he retired.

The final day of the event on Sun., Feb. 15 was the final day of the 2026 Winter Carnival. It began with the firefighters breakfast, followed by a Magic Show with the Great Arjunia. The afternoon featured public skating, line dancing, a Kids Pedal Tractor Pull competition and displays by the Stormont County 4-H Club to discover the world of 4-H. A spaghetti dinner and fireworks completed the 2026 winter and Quesnel announced the 50/50 draw was won by winner Marc-André Lebrun.

There can be no doubt that the founders of the winter carnival in this North Stormont community would be very proud of the work done throughout the years by Crysler volunteers.

North Stormont Mayor François Landry perhaps summed it up best when he wrote to The Record: “For 60 years, the Crysler Winter Carnival has brought people together, and this year’s celebration proved once again what makes our community so special. Thank you to the passionate volunteers who worked countless hours to create a week filled with fun, friendship, and tradition. From young to old, Crysler showed up in droves – and with beautiful winter weather to match, it was a celebration to remember.”