Preparations are once again underway for a popular Oswego Winter festival and as our Candace Hopkins tells us, this year Warm Up Oswego's newest event will have neighbors facing off in the snow.

  To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.

Then come back here and refresh the page.

OSWEGO, N.Y. -- For many, Oswego's winters are the perfect time to hibernate, but for the past few years, the Warm Up Oswego festival has been a fun excuse to venture out of the house.

"You know, often times, we think about just having cabin fever and sitting indoors and you might not have seen your neighbors in a few weeks for whatever, so this is a great excuse to get out and get together with everybody," said Mary Vanouse, Oswego's Director of Community Development.

This year's festival is set for February 3rd and 4th, featuring a road race, scavenger hunts, fireworks and everyone's favorite, a costumed sled race, a popular event that participant Mike Lavner says has grown over the years.

"You know, the first year we dressed up, everybody had costumes on and it's supposed to be for fun, but it got real competitive and the next year, people are showing up with track shoes on and running outfits, you know, so half the teams were there to win the race and the other half were just there to win the costume part of it. It's a lot of fun. People line both sides of the streets." Lavner said.

New this year, throughout the city, neighbors will compete in a snow sculpture contest.

"We thought this would be a really cool way to celebrate our snow and Oswego is certainly known for snow, so why not do snow sculptures throughout the city? It would give people an opportunity to see us at our best in the winter," said Vanouse.

For small businesses here in Oswego, like the city's newest restaurant, Bistro 197, events like the Warm Up Oswego Festival are essential to keep business going strong during some of the year's slowest months. Executive Chef Jeff Barney says his restaurant is hoping for a busy weekend.

"The more foot traffic we have downtown, the better these local businesses do and anything that can keep people coming downtown is great for the local businesses," Barney said.

City officials and businesses alike hope Warm Up Oswego will give the Port City yet another chance to shine.

For more information about the festival, visit www.warmuposwego.com.