ABOVE: Youth skate by Saturday evening during Rock on Ice at the Martin County Arena in Fairmont.

FAIRMONT– This past weekend was a busy one for the Fairmont area as a number of winter activities took place. These events served as opportunities for locals to participate, and also brought in people from all of Martin County and beyond.

Starting on Saturday morning, the annual Fairmont Lakes Foundation ice fishing tournament took place. This was the 8th year the organization has held the event across Fairmont’s five frozen lakes.

Jim Utermarck, an organizer of the event, said that 127 people participated on Saturday. Traditionally the tournament has brought in people from parts of Iowa and as far as the Twin Cities area. Participation was slightly down from last year and Utermark speculated that the single digit temperatures on Saturday could have had something to do with it.

Money from the registration fee goes to the Fairmont Lakes Foundation and is used toward improving and promoting Fairmont’s lakes.

After the tournament, participants gathered outside the shelter at Gomsrud Park where a number of generous prizes were given out to those who caught the biggest fish and monetary prizes were given to those who caught the most yellow bass by weight.

On Saturday evening, another event took place on ice in Fairmont, but this one was indoors at the Martin County Arena. Rock on Ice brought in about 225 people, both youth and adults, on Saturday night. Like the fishing tournament, many were from the Martin County area, though traditionally people have come from beyond the county to skate.

Several volunteers on Saturday said that 225 was one of the lowest numbers they’d had and noted that earlier Rock on Ice events near Thanksgiving and New Years saw upwards of 300 people come through.

Saturday’s Rock on ice theme was “white out”and was sponsored by the Squirts B team.

A winter carnival took place Sunday afternoon at Martin Luther High School in Northrop. The family friendly event was open to the public but was part of National Lutheran School’s Week, which was just wrapping up.

All last week, Lutheran schools nation-wide celebrated National Lutheran Schools week and local schools took part by having dress-up days and special class trips and events.

The winter carnival was put on by about 20 students in Martin Luther’s National Honor Society and Student Council. Games included golf putting, plinko, corn hole, soccer and a cake walk and participants were given tickets for prizes. There was also a bounce house and concessions in the school’s gym.

Organizers kept a tally and said that 84 children came through the winter carnival and that they all had at least an adult, if not two, with them.