- April 19, 2024
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Nereyda Campos throws a snowball up in the air. Photo by Paige Wilson
Palm Coast resident Adam Whitley gets ready to throw a snowball. Photo by Paige Wilson
Palm Coast residents Courtney Williams and Cameron Pronesti reach the end of the snow slide. Photo by Paige Wilson
Ashlynn Alexander and Kylie Smock play in the snow. Photo by Paige Wilson
Palm Coast resident Baedan Canfield enjoys Kona Ice. Photo by Paige Wilson
Palm Coast resident Liz Poppe has fun on the snow slide. Photo by Paige Wilson
Palm Coast resident Avery Wiltfong holds a snowball. Photo by Paige Wilson
Flagler Beach resident Connor Chong winds up at the hammer game. Photo by Paige Wilson
Flagler Beach resident Elaina Davis interacts with characters from the movie "Frozen." Photo by Paige Wilson
Palm Coast resident Adriana Bass winds up to throw a snowball. Photo by Paige Wilson
Snow fell in Palm Coast on Saturday, March 10. Well, man-made snow that is.
Even though the temperature hung in the low 70s, thousands of kids jumped around in two snowfields outside Flagler Palm Coast High School from 11 a.m. through the afternoon for the first Snowfest in Flagler County.
The Mullins Companies President and CEO Joe Mullins, who has been organizing the Columbia County (Georgia) Snowfest for the last six years, decided to start the event in his new hometown of Flagler County after permanently moving to Flagler Beach in 2016.
Mullins said he had FPC students run the event, which is a big part of the reason he holds it.
“It’s a way that my company can teach them how to do events as they get older and give back to the community because this is a total charity event,” he said.
Money raised at the event will go toward the Flagler County Education Foundation, which is a nonprofit that works to benefit students and teachers.
“It was priceless,” Education Foundation Executive Director Joe Rizzo said. “There were a lot of people there. To watch the faces and reactions of the kids there was just priceless.”
Rizzo said The Mullins Companies presented the foundation with a $4,000 check a few days after the event.
The festivities included two snowfields, two snow slides, arts and crafts vendors and stage performances. While the man-made snow was brought from Georgia, Mullins said he made sure to use local vendors for the entertainment.
“It’s my community, so I want to make sure we’re giving back and there’s events we can do with the kids,” Mullins said.
Mullins said he plans to hold another Snowfest on Dec. 15 at Palm Coast City Hall, which he anticipates will have an even bigger turnout.
“We’ll still work with the schools,” Mullins said about the future Snowfest. “My whole purpose in doing this is to make sure the kids get experience in doing theatrical stuff. Being a former sports and entertainment agent, I used to teach a lot of the players and entertainers how to give back with their careers. And it’s just going to the kids and saying, ‘Hey, this is what we do as we grow up. We’re able to help the community.’”
