For the past several years, thousands of participants have taken part in a massive winter carnival and ice fishing derby on Sebago Lake.

This year, there are some changes in the event, which promises to be bigger and better than ever.

Now called the Maine Winterfest and Chevrolet Derby, the fishing action will be spread over two weekends. The first – run in conjunction with various other events – is a Sebago Lake derby that will be held Feb. 23-24.

In addition, a statewide derby will be held March 8-9.

On March 10, a Chevy Silverado will be awarded to one lucky angler.

For more information on Winterfest and the fishing derbies, check the Web at www.icefishingderby.com.

Snowmobile course scheduled

The Eastern Maine Snowmobile Club in Holden will host a snowmobile safety course Feb. 24 from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m.

The course is open to all ages and is being taught by certified Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife instructors. There is no fee for the course.

A spaghetti lunch will be available for purchase.

Registration deadline is Feb. 20. For more information, call Eileen Lafland at 843-7813.

To submit an item for publication in the Outdoor Notebook, send e-mail to jholyoke@bangordailynews.net, fax to 990-8092 or mail information to Outdoor Notebook, Bangor Daily News, PO Box 1329, Bangor, ME 04402-1329.