Music, entertainment, food and family-friendly activities will be featured during the eighth annual Winter Fling being presented by the Borough of Hummelstown and the Hummelstown Community Foundation on Friday, Jan. 28, from 7 to 10 p.m. Events will be held in the downtown square and on neighboring streets, which will be closed for the festivities.

Featured attractions in the square will be ice sculpture carving demonstrations and live music by the Julie Schreiber Band and DJ Bill Runkle. There will also be a performance by the Hershey School of Dance.

"There will be alpacas from Eastland Alpacas in Mount Joy," noted Kelly Williamson, secretary of the foundation. "They are one of the favorite (attractions). Everyone enjoys petting them."

Also performing in the square will be fire dancers from the Central PA Fire Tribe.

A KIDZ Zone will be open from 7 to 9 p.m., where attendees can make their own s'mores in outdoor fire pits. There will also be crafts and a bounce house. "New this year is a game truck where they can play video games; masks will be required to enter," said Williamson.

There will be free hot chocolate available throughout the event, and representatives from local wineries and breweries will offer beverages to purchase.

"It's become a (popular) event. It's been really cold some years, and people still come out," Williamson said, noting that many people are looking for fun outdoor events to attend because of the pandemic. "Being that it's outside, that's a big plus."

In past years, the Winter Fling has been a two-day event with a variety of activities held on Saturday at Nye Elementary School, including children's games and entertainment. This year, the foundation decided to cancel the indoor event at the school. "The Saturday event was inside, and it was packed; it was wall-to-wall people," said Williamson. "We thought it would not be safe to do that this year."

The 2021 Winter Fling was also adapted because of the pandemic, but organizers are excited to bring back many of the activities this year "In 2021, all we did was have some ice sculptures on the square and on Main Street. You could walk around in your own time. It was very scaled down," Williamson said.

She noted that the Winter Fling was previously held on New Year's Eve, but the event moved to January so as not to interfere with New Year's events in Hershey. "Get Frosted" was chosen as the theme of the Winter Fling.

"Each year, the Hummelstown Community Foundation strives to bring new and different activities to the Fling," Williamson added.

For more information about the event, search for "Hummelstown Winter Fling" on Facebook. Those with questions can email winterfling17036@gmail.com. In the event of hazardous winter weather, the event will be canceled and not rescheduled.