L’ANSE – It may be Winter Carnival weekend up in Houghton, but Michigan Tech students aren’t the only ones who’ll be having fun. In L’Anse, the whole family can build snow people, scramble through a snow maze or explore the local forest on snowshoes.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg, with two days of events scheduled Friday and Saturday at the Baraga County Chamber of Commerce’s first annual Baraga County Winter Happening, at the Whirl-i-Gig bowling alley and the L’Anse Area School.

“It’s a slow time, and there have been a number of complaints about what to do in the winter that’s family friendly and not expensive,” said chamber Chairwoman Debbie Stouffer. “That was our main motivator, something for free. Then we got carried away by the things we could do.”

Stouffer said several other groups have partnered with the chamber for a bigger and better event, including the Baraga County Shelter Home, the L’Anse Area Schools Booster Club and Baraga County Communities that Care.

Communities that Care Coordinator Robin Chosa said CTC volunteers would be running a scavenger hunt and a “Winter Gear Shuffle” relay race, and would also have an information booth at the event. Chosa said local high school and college students involved in CTC, as well as a parent group, have all expressed interest in helping out.

“It’s a good mixture of all ages coming through,” he said. “We’re always looking for events to get our name out there and just be a part of the community.”

Stouffer said events would kick off Friday at the Whirl-i-Gig bowling alley, with a 4 p.m. family dance ($10 per family) and a more adult-themed dance at 7 p.m., featuring Richie Yurkovich & Polkarioty ($7 per person). In between, there will be a buffet dinner at 6 p.m. ($12 adults, $6 kids, free 3 years old and under).

There will be plenty of food on Saturday, too, with a Pancake Breakfast at the L’Anse American Legion Post 144, coffee and donuts at the football field concession stand, and a pair of food trucks featuring barbecue and Mexican cuisine.

All Saturday’s events will be at the school and its athletic fields, said Stouffer. They’ll all be free except for the snowshoe hike, $5, and the snow maze, $1, with that money going to cover the costs of the event.

She said families should bring their own snowshoes, and sleds would be a good idea, too, though some will be available to borrow.

There will be plenty of fun for kids inside, he said, with basketball, the scavenger hunt and movies, as well as health screenings and about 25 vendors on hand.

Other outdoor activities include dog sled rides and kicksleds for the do-it-yourselfers, she said, and fireworks at 7 p.m. at the L’Anse waterfront. The biggest effort, she said, went into the snow maze.

“It’s really awesome,” Stouffer said. “We had a number of contractors who devoted materials and time.”

For more information, check out the Baraga Chamber of Commerce Facebook page.