Get ready for family fun at Winter in the Woods

Organizers of Bragg Creek's Winter in the Woods winter festival have a few new tricks up their sleeve for their third edition on Jan. 27, including a chance to play alongside NHL alumni while supporting Camp Horizon.

Also returning are the hugely popular human curling, chuck-a-puck. hockey games, vendor market, family skating, live music, beer gardens and a concession.

"It's really wonderful that this has become an annual winter festival," says Sher Hayes, president of the Bragg Creek Community Association, "It's an opportunity for families to get outside and have some winter fun, and being in Canada, that's really important or else you're half the year in indoors."

For the most part, you can just show up and enjoy the fun, even to participate in human curling.

You register for human curling on the day of the event, but be warned, the spots fill up quickly. (file photo)

"You don't pre-register, but we recommend you get there early to sign up. Once all the spots are filled that's it."

• What is it? Read: Human Curling Fever sweeps over Bragg

What you do need to act upon immediately is an opportunity to play alongside some NHL alumni and local celebrities in the Hockey for Horizon charity game. It costs $500 to participate. Proceeds will help send kids with disabilities and medical conditions to the Easter Seals camp, located in the Bragg Creek area.

Proceeds of the after party at the Powderhorn Saloon will also support Camp Horizon.

So, who's coming?

"They've been they've been keeping that pretty secretive," says Hayes. "They might be releasing a list closer to the event, but so far, we don't know exactly who they are. We do hear rumours that one of them is a goalie. That the only tidbit they've given us so far."

You can get more details and sign up here.

Chuck-a-Puck is back and bigger than ever. (file photo)

You might also start purchasing your pucks for Chuck-a-Puck. They're available to purchase for $10 and you could win $1,000 by tossing your puck closest to the centre ice dot.

The business featured on the winning puck also wins naming rights for the rink for one year. It's currently Mabel and Marie’s Rink and the Riverdragonfly won the rights in the first year. 

Each participating business has their logo imprinted on pucks.

"We have so many merchants participating that I would say you would be hard pressed to find a place in Bragg Creek that doesn't have a puck this year. The majority of our merchants downtown have them, and even our senior centre has a puck this year."

Other than the Camp Horizon events, all other proceeds of the day will be put towards resurfacing and reboarding the outdoor rink and turn it into a multi-use facility year-round.

"We have people who want to do different sports in there in the summer, but the surface just hasn't been good enough."

In its inaugural year, up to 2,000 people attended Winter in the Woods. Attendance was down last year due to colder temperatures. 

• WATCH: Creekers know how to celebrate winter

"We've decided this year that we aren't going to fight with the weather too much," says Hayes. "If it goes down to -20, we're going to move whatever part of the events we can indoors, like the beer gardens. But if it's above -10, we'll stay outside and regardless of the temperature, we will still have our ice events running.

For more information and updates, click here.