Friday, March 18, 2011

springtime events

Spring is on its way. A thunderstorm yesterday accelerated the melting of the snowpack. The snow buntings have moved through. A red poll was at the feeder the other day. The chickadees have been making their spring calls for several weeks(are they saying cheeseburger? As a statistician, I think they are saying p-value). Not much ice to break in the St. Marys River but the ice breaking is going on throughout the system and the locks are scheduled to open next week.

The most unique event of spring, though, may be Lake Superior State University's Annual Snowman Burning. At noon today, officials set fire to a snowman effigy just as they have every year going back 41 years. A metal mesh form in the shape of a snowman is stuffed with shredded office paper and lit on the Friday closest to the first day of spring. Participants read poetry and engage in other commemorative activities. There's a page on facebook for it. Search for snowman burning.

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