Ready for spring? Watch the snowman burn!Posted: March 16th, 2004March 16, 2004
SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. – Lake Superior State University will welcome spring a day early during its 34th annual snowman burning at noon on Friday, March 19. The public is welcome to join the fun.
Spring officially arrives in the Eastern Upper Peninsula and northern Ontario at 1:49 a.m. EST on Saturday, March 20, but rather than wait until Monday, the students at LSSU want to bring in springtime as soon as possible. After experiencing their first normal winter in six or seven years, it appears that many area residents are ready for warmer weather also.
Former LSSU Public Relations Director Bill Rabe started the snowman burning in 1971 and it has been a welcome part of spring semester ever since. During the brief ceremony, a paper snowman is burned while area school children, LSSU students and members of the community cheer the coming of spring.
Members of the community are welcome to join in this annual springtime tradition by toasting the snowman’s demise with a mug of hot chocolate and a hot dog grilled by members of the LSSU Student Government. In the past, spring-hungry residents have read poetry at the event, although these days most seem content to warm themselves by the fire.
The LSSU tradition was inspired by the Rose Sunday Festival in Weinheim-en-der-Bergstrasse, Germany. In the festival, a straw snowman is burned in the village square. The town of Helvetia, West Virginia, has a similar end-of-winter celebration called Fasnacht. It is based on a Swiss tradition and features the burning of Old Man Winter in effigy.
This year, members of LSSU Student Government have constructed the snowman with assistance from LSSU Physical Plant. Frosty is made mostly from paper destined for the recycling bin, along with a wood and wire frame.
For more information, call LSSU Public Relations, 906-635-2315 or 635-2314. -LSSU-
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