WinterFest at Carowinds: Celebrating Holiday Cheer with Artistic Flair from A Kid Again
Courtney C. McGarry Weber
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Hot chocolate enthusiasts will find offerings during Carowinds' WinterFest, including refillable souvenir mugs featuring artwork by Alaina Koroskenyi, 12, of South Carolina. The design contest was conducted in partnership with A Kid Again, a nonprofit dedicated to children with life-threatening conditions.
Over the summer, A Kid Again chapters nationwide partnered with Cedar Fair parks to host a holiday design contest for the souvenir mugs. Thirty-one entries were submitted, with the winner chosen by a committee of Cedar Fair associates who also volunteer with A Kid Again. Koroskenyi's artwork was selected. It features Fury 325, the 70-foot Christmas tree in Celebration Plaza, and ice skating on Snow Flake Lake, near Harmony Hall Plaza.
"It is super pretty. I love it," Koroskenyi said. "What inspired my drawing was Carowinds because of the big Christmas tree, Fury (325), and ice skating. Ice skating is the best. I like Fury. It is my favorite ride."
She is the sibling of an enrolled child in A Kid Again and is part of the Central Carolinas Chapter.
She received a prize basket with season passes for her family. Her winning design has been digitally transferred onto 60,000 mugs to be sold at six Cedar Fair parks across the U.S. and Canada as the official WinterFest souvenir mug. Artwork from the four runners-up will be printed on five mugs for them and their families as consolation prizes.
"The thought of reaching out to these children and families through something as fun and simple as a WinterFest mug art contest brings me joy," Jeff Shepard, Cedar Fair director of procurement, direct materials, said. "It has been great to partner with A Kid Again for another year, and I'm proud of Cedar Fair's efforts in helping with their outreach through our WinterFest mug program."
"Alaina loves A Kid Again because, as a sibling, she loves being included," Jillian Koroskenyi, Alaina's mother, said. "Often, only the kids with the illness are included. In her case, she has two brothers with an illness, so it leaves her out a lot. The meaning behind her picture was all the fun at Winterfest. She looks forward to Winterfest to see Santa, ice skate, and, of course, ride fun rides!"
