While the heavy snow and prolonged period of cold weather might not be pleasant, the fun of winter will be highlighted in Jim Thorpe this weekend.

The 20th annual WinterFest, held Saturday, Sunday, and Monday (Presidents Day), is hosted by the Jim Thorpe Tourism Agency.A highlight is the ice carving and wood carving demonstrations.There also will be a mix of family activities, special shopping and dining promotions and the Mauch Chunk Opera House.Ice and wood carvers will demonstrate their skills in the downtown Josiah White Park, next to the Jersey Central train station and at the Mauch Chunk Opera House Saturday and Sunday afternoon.The weekend features a Jim Thorpe Tourism Agency fundraiser Mug Walk during which, for the price of a Jim Thorpe mug, visitors can look for signs which indicate up to 30 participating shops and stores that will fill those mugs with something free, including cookies, soup, coffee and other surprises.Also for children under 12, there will be a piñata-busting at the downtown train station at noon on both Saturday and Sunday.Saturday afternoon, from 12:30 to 3:30, the Faculty Brass, a Lehighton-based quartet playing tunes of all genres from marches and polkas to recent pop tunes, will stroll up and down Broadway.Both Friday and Saturday evenings the Mauch Chunk Opera House features the band Tusk, a Fleetwood Mac tribute band.On Sunday evening, the Opera House features Memories of Elvis, a dynamic trip back to a great musical era.Tickets can be reserved by calling SoundCheck Records at 570-325-4009, visiting

www.mcohjt.com, or calling the box office at 570-325-0249.On both Saturday and Sunday, the Jim Thorpe Tourism Agency presents free kids' shows at 2 p.m., courtesy of Al Grout, an entertainer who has been performing since 1977, and does over 200 shows a year. Both children and adults will enjoy some of the most difficult and entertaining juggling and magic tricks being done today, all performed while telling jokes and interacting with the audience.For more information call 570-325-5810 or visit the official Jim Thorpe website,

http://www.JimThorpe.org.