Wife Carrying Championship Marks 20th Competition At Sunday River’s Fall Festival

The 20th Annual North American Wife Carrying Championship will take place at Sunday River Resort on October 12, 2019, with beer and cash prizes at stake for the finalists. The event, which is held each year during the resort’s Fall Festival on Columbus Day weekend, tasks couples with traversing a 278-yard obstacle course with one member of the team carrying the other.

Obstacles on the course include a log hurdle, the widow-maker water hazard, and a sand hill. Couples race head-to-head for the fastest time to determine which teams will enter the finals. The fastest two couples will then race against one another to see who will be named champion. The winners receive the wife’s weight in beer, five times her weight in cash, and entry into the World Wife Carrying Championship in Finland. Registration for the North American Wife Carrying Championship is sold out, but there is a waitlist available. Couples must be over the age of 21, but do not need to be legally married, or comprised of a man and woman.

On Sunday, October 13, Sunday River will host the 6th Annual New England Cornhole Championship, which is sanctioned by the American Cornhole Association. For this event, teams of two will play the quintessential backyard barbecue game through a bracket system outside of the South Ridge Lodge. There is a $600 cash purse split between for the top three teams. Registration is closed, but there is a waitlist available.  

For those who aren’t looking to test their mettle by competition, there are plenty of other ways to enjoy Fall Festival. The VIP Wine Tent experience on Saturday invites visitors to sample delicious wine and appetizers from Chef Harding Lee Smith of the Rooms restaurants in Portland, Maine, and the Mountain Room at the Peak Lodge. On Sunday, the Bloody Mary Tent is a must-visit with a large variety of toppings.  

Sunday River’s Mountain Park activities, such as scenic chairlift rides, disc golf, and twin ziplines, will be available through October 13, and the Sunday River Golf Club will be open until October 14. The 36th Annual Blue Mountain Arts and Craft Fair will also be held inside of the lodge on both Saturday and Sunday, and sky diving with Jump & Raft will be available all weekend, too, from the Bethel Airport.