Deke and Carol Morrison have been selected to serve as the king and queen of the Old Forge Winter Carnival which will be held at McCauley Mountain Friday through Sunday, February 15 to 17.
The Morrisons were a vital force in the Old Forge ski scene in the 1970s and 80s.
Their kids Steve, Lisa, Tim and Chris began racing at a young age as members of the Polar Bear Ski Club. Deke served as president of the Polar Bears for some time.
As they got older, the Morrison kids were racers on the Town of Webb School Alpine Ski Team. During those years, Deke volunteered as a race starter, while Carol registered racers, cooked for the team and chaperoned many away meets.
Deke proved to be so good as a race starter that he was invited to work the alpine starts in Lake Placid during the 1980 Olympics. A picture of him wearing an Old Forge hat appeared in an Olympics-featured article in Sports Illustrated magazine.
Today, the Morrisons typically spend their entire winter in Florida.
When they return to Old Forge they keep themselves busy assisting with the annual Classic Boat Show, View events, and a number of other community-minded events and organizations.
