STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK

The temperature swung nearly 70 degrees from the minus-35 temperature the town of Stanley bottomed out at on Thursday.

And by the time the town’s annual Winterfest cabin fever reliever took to the streets on Saturday, some contestants and spectators were breaking out their T-shirts with temperatures in the 30s and a red hot sun.

David and Rosemarie Marshall of Florida basked in the sun on Stanley’s main drag, their fox terrier Brandy dressed in balloon boots, and double layers, even though she probably didn’t need all that winter wear.

“We’ve been coming to Sun Valley for 14 years—we have a condo there. And when we found about the Stanley Winterfest last year we came up and loved it,” said Rosemarie Marshall. “It was so cold last year that we overdressed this year—I’m wearing monster boots I don’t need, but it’s a good way to spend the President’s Day Weekend.”

The people of Stanley, where the population dwindles to double digits in winter and frost appears on the vine 290 mornings of the year, organized the first Stanley Winterfest 16 years ago as a cabin fever reliever.

With the motto, “Let’s Get Weird,” the event has grown each year from the initial outhouse races and snowshoe drag races to encompass a variety of events ranging from whitewater raft trips down snow-covered hills to bowling with frozen turkeys.

This year Big Kid Trike Races got thrown into the mix, utilizing Razor Drift Trikes with low rider bucket seats and pedals made for long legs.

“It’s fun but it feels like you’re on a bike that has no control,” said Karen Roach.

“You can’t control it so you end up going sideways,” added Holly Nichols, who joined Roach and Penny Atkins in the Big Kid Trike races.

The highlight of the weekend, of course, remains the outhouse races, --their first- through turd-place trophies consisting of toilet seats painted with rivers and butterflies, pine trees and other aspects endemic to life in the Sawtooth Mountains.

Matt Stredden put the finishing touches on his Stanley Steamer outhouse entry as Kimberly Murphy donned a turd outfit and practiced siting on the stool in preparation for the big race.

“We took the name from Bill Harrah, founder of Harrah’s Hotel and Casino. He had over a thousand cars in his car collection and liked to show off his steam cars in a building near where the Merc is,” said Stredden.

Kiel Anderson and Sam Zenke, meanwhile were back from Burley—this time dressed as Storm Troopers and driving a Storm Trooper outhouse with a giant mustache.

“We’ve built outhouses inspired by Willy Wonka, the Ninja Turtles and Super Mario. Now the Super Troopers,” said Anderson. “We wouldn’t miss this—we look forward to it every year.”