Oh No! No Snow!
“Mom, I’m bored. There’s nothing to do.”
A common gripe heard from kids throughout the Midwest as the winter of 2023/2024 hasn’t delivered on its annual promise of cold weather and blankets of bountiful snow.
With an unusually warm December and January, the winter landscape gave us nothing but shades of browns and grays. Any snow that fell melted almost as fast as it came down. Ice on the lakes was opaque and slushy and safe only for the foolhardy.
Winter activities in and around Rome, Wisconsin were being canceled left and right. Even the annual SnoBlast Winter Celebration at Lake Arrowhead was in jeopardy of being a total bust.
But thanks to the thoughtful planners and coordinators who did an amazing job of outsmarting Old Man Winter, there was a whole host of activities not dependent on his cooperation. And fun was had by all. Just like always.
Oh sure, some of the events had to be canceled - like the lawnmower races, ice bowling, and snow golf - while others were moved indoors, but nobody seemed to mind.
On Friday, for example, the first day of SnoBlast, they focused on entertainment for the adult crowd. There was cocktail tasting, Dueling Pianos, and a Wisconsin requisite fish fry buffet. Many of us enjoyed the festival favorite, Spot Game, where participants wager a buck or two in hopes of their color of choice returning a few bucks more as a ball is bounced into a pit of colored cups.
On Saturday, the Spot Game resumed its allure as raffles and silent auctions joined in the fun, but as always, this day was really all about the kids.
In every corner of the massive Lake Arrowhead clubhouse, there were giggles and grins to rival even that of children crashing through the doors on the last day of school. Some of the can’t-miss kids’ activities included face painting, cookie decorating, and balloon animals. There was Plinko, Pluck-A-Duck, mini golf, and an incredibly talented caricaturist. There truly was something for every kid.
And for the heartiest of appetites, there was plenty of food and drink too - hot dogs, hamburgers, and pizza. How about French Fries, cheese curds, and ice cream? You name it, it was there.
But as always, the pièce de résistance of SnoBlast was the beautiful ice sculpture out on the patio. Yup, on this February weekend it was just cold enough to showcase a gigantic icy throne fit for a king or queen (or a whole bunch of kids who couldn’t resist climbing all over it like it was a jungle gym).
So, despite Old Man Winter falling down on the job, by all accounts, SnoBlast 2024 was a huge success.
Be that as it may, next year, we’ll hope for a more typical winter. We’ll keep our fingers crossed for cold weather and plenty of snow. But you know what? Even if it’s a repeat of this year, we’ll again have plenty of fun, because SnoBlast without snow is still a blast.
Lake Arrowhead is located at 1195 Apache Lane in Rome, Wisconsin.
Written by: Lydell Capritta
