Frosty the Christmas Horse moves to the Fort Erie Race Track
October 11, 2026 at 4:18 AM
Frosty the Christmas Horse is moving to the Fort Erie Race Track after bitter cold and a surge of donors overwhelmed volunteers at the horse’s food drive at The Plaice Bar and Grill last December.
The retired thoroughbred will appear at a Fort Erie Festivals event at the race track on November 28. Community Outreach Program Erie (COPE) will collect non-perishable food there, and children can pick up Frosty colouring books.
“Last year, these outrageously cold temperatures and the volume of people coming through just made it so that it was beyond our capacity to do that and all the other things that we were doing,” said Team Frosty organizer Gary Hass.
Frosty the Christmas Horse and the little goat Rosie hosting their fundraiser in the parking lot next to The Plaice Bar and Grill last December, but this year they will be at the Fort Erie Race Track. Credit: Andrew Hawlitzy | Fort Erie RadioThe Garrison Road restaurant’s parking lot hosted last year’s event, which raised $5,000 for COPE through a sold-out 50/50 draw. Drivers pulled into the lot to drop off bags of non-perishables collected by young “Christmas elves” and air cadets volunteering their time.
The race track printed 10,000 Frosty colouring books for Team Frosty to hand out to children in 2025.
“The best place for Frosty is going to be at a track,” said Hass.
Team Frosty brings the horse out every holiday season to teach Fort Erie children that some of their neighbours rely on COPE for food. Hass credits Frosty for the children who now request COPE collection bins at their birthday parties.
Team Frosty wants at least 29 Fort Erie businesses, schools and sports teams to keep COPE collection bins between November 1 and December 18, three more than the 26 that kept bins last year.
“We do this just to take the pressure off of COPE because their numbers are through the roof,” said Hass.
COPE was estimated in September to serve more than 600 people a month.
Hass said COPE staff regularly work more than 40 hours a week to keep the Dufferin Street food bank’s shelves stocked.
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About The Author
Andrew Hawlitzky
Andrew is a Niagara community journalist who has covered everything from local politics to annual festivals and breaking news. He works to make local news a platform where community voices lead the conversation. "If you don't like the news, go out and make some!"
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