HANCOCK - Mike Bach of Hubbell was trying to get a photograph as three of his children whisked by in a circle pushing a whip sled on the Finlandia University Quincy Green in front of the former Hancock Middle School building on Quincy Street during Heikinpiv events Saturday.
Bach said it was because of his children the family has been attending Heikinpiv for the last four or five years.
"The kids like the whip sled and the kick sled and the reindeer," he said.
When the Bach family was taking part in activities, the crowd was a little small. It quickly grew quite large, and included many families. This pleased Jim Kurtti, co-chair of the Hancock Finnish Theme committee, organizers of the Heikinpiv mid-winter festival.
"We're very happy to see so many families with children," he said.
Most of the events for the two-week-long Heikinpiv celebration were located at the same places they've been for years, but Kurtti said the Finnish buffet had to be moved from the Finlandia University dining hall to Zion Lutheran Church, and the Polar Bear Dive moved from the Ramada Inn to the Copper Island Beach Club.
"We had some challenges this year," Kurtti said of the need to move venues.
The weather, which was windy and snowy, but relatively mild with temperatures in the 20s, may have been a factor in the good turnout Saturday, Kurtti said.
"It's about 20 degrees warmer than a couple years we had it," he said.
One of the events on Quincy Green Saturday was the wife carrying competition, which required couples to complete tasks at three stations to which the man carried the woman.
One of those couples was Shannon and Robert Handler of Hancock. Robert said they were attending Heikinpiv for the third time.
"It's a great community event," he said. "We love to see people celebrate wintertime."
The outdoor events finished with probably the chilliest one - the Polar Bear Dive. A large hole was cut into the ice of the Portage Canal for the divers, some of whom were barely covered, and some were covered head to toe.
Carol Korpela of South Range was diving with a group of co-workers from Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly.
Korpela said she did the dive last year, but the weather wasn't as windy and snowy then.
"Now, I can say I've done it in a storm," she said.
Although she wasn't bothered by the cold when she did the dive the first time, Korpela said it's best to get out as fast as possible.
"You don't linger," she said.
