Wildaliz Bermudez kisses her husband, Ken Krayeske,  possibly one last time before he rides a bed sled down the hill in Elizabeth Park.

You don’t need a branding campaign of any sort to get people out on a snowy Saturday afternoon. What you need is a good idea, being open to having fun, and the willingness to promote a little.

For the second year, Paul Spirito organized a successful Art Sled Derby that was completely free to attend, with expenses only being what participants chose to spend on sleds and materials. No waivers, no fuss.

Supporting the “Hartford Strong” sled team

 

The “Hartford Strong” team said they were about resilience.

 

Hartford Strong, collecting the team’s debris after crashes
Wearing footed onesie pajamas, Tony Cherolis takes a reverse bow before getting into a sled made from various found objects, including a crib

 

The crib waited until the bottom of the hill before falling apart.

 

Oscar the Grouch gets a push
Spectators

 

 

The Plastic Fish sled was made of one-use water bottles.

Mr. and Mrs. Claus
Mucha Mucha Placer, dressed as Ursula from The Little Mermaid
Mucha Mucha Placer as Ursula

 

Bananas were tossed from the Team Chiquita sled

 

The Caution-Ciudad sled, about to wipe out

 

 

 

 

A mole and part of the Hartford Hot Several
Johnny Frechette

The sled was called “skid marks.” 
The Anaconda sled did not seem to end

The half time show featured music from the Hartford Hot Several and Christopher Brown demonstrating how to ride a bicycle down an icy slope
Some of the creepiest trophies you will ever see 
One of the many winners

 

 

 

Another winner
Mucha, earning a trophy two years in a row, this time for “Most Tentacles”