The bout of the coldest weather in 18 years that settled on the path around the Falls on Monday morning gave people something to talk about other than the less-than-Cinderella-story ending to the Packers’ season. The Sunday night loss by three points was not unexpected. There had been hope for a different result, given the cold weather.
Given the many warnings, fans dressed for the weather. Hopefully, some of those 49ers fans from California dropped a little cash in Green Bay as they got outfitted with new, cold weather gear for the game. Estimates varied as to the financial impact of hosting this postseason game but most were close to $12 million.
Regardless of the actual number, that was a great start to the year for the bottom line of a number of businesses in the area.
No doubt many local retailers around the state saw a slight uptick in purchases as fans stocked up with supplies for the game. Sunday’s grocery store shoppers may have also included those who were worried about the approach of the frigid air and the need to stock up if they were housebound due to cold weather and the inability to travel.
The media hype about the cold weather started on Friday afternoon when a number of schools canceled classes for Monday. The cold weather was coming in from the northwest. On Friday morning, Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton issued an order closing all schools on Monday. Later that morning a statement from Gov. Walker’s office indicated he was considering a similar directive for Wisconsin schools.
Later that day, the message was retracted, and the governor’s office noted that this should be a local decision. In 35-plus years of being a close observer of school operations, I have never seen a Wisconsin governor close schools due to weather. Perhaps this was one place Gov. Walker did not want in the history books.
Even without an official order from the governor’s office, the seed was planted. At the time of the kickoff of the Packers game, with bundled fans sitting on frozen seats overlooking the not-so-frozen tundra, most schools in the area had canceled classes for Monday.
The outlook for Tuesday did not look much better, but that is a story yet to unfold as these words are put to paper. The concern is about safety. Only a few students are standing at the edge of the road when the bus pulls up, so worry about this situation is minimal. The real issue is the possibility of a mechanical failure of some sort, and a bus or a different vehicle carrying students would become stranded. The ramifications could be serious.
This school year, the first and third snow days are not made up, but the second and fourth are. Given that situation, the first snow day is a bit easier to call since it has no effect on the school calendar. The second one inserts a makeup day in April on what had been a vacation day.
Even though the cold snap touched down on Sunday and dug in on Monday and Tuesday, Saturday was a relatively warm day and resulted in a large turnout at the tubing hill at River Island Golf Course. There was a good snow base, and the slope was running fast for those who participated.
A couple of the adults who had last used the hill when they were teens were there with their own children. One mom commented that the ride down the hill seemed a lot faster when you had a 5-year-old on your lap.
That hill has a way of connecting generations as adults remember the thrills and make new memories with their children. The use of the hill is without charge on Saturday and Sunday afternoons when weather and snow conditions permit.
The Oconto Falls Lions supervise the operation of the hill and the tow rope. More information is on the Oconto Falls Lions website. The Lions welcome other adult volunteers to help with the supervision of the hill. Lion Larry Jeske is this year’s tubing hill committee chairman.
Even though students did not have classes on Monday and perhaps even on Tuesday, the tubing hill was not operating. If it’s too cold to wait outside for the bus, it’s too cold to play on the tubing hill.
This could be a record-long Christmas vacation. So much for global warming.
Categories
