Winter Frolic nixed

Like so many other winter events that were scheduled along the North Shore, the annual Two Harbors Winter Frolic celebration has been cancelled this year due to the lack of snow.

The Winter Frolic planning committee voted 8-3 Monday to cancel the annual winter celebration that was to be held Feb. 10-11. Despite a small amount of snowfall in Two Harbors early this week, organizers were hesitant to continue on with the event because of warmer weather forecasted for later this week. While some events still could have been held, such as the Winter Frolic parade, committee members were fearful of holding a lackluster event compared to those held in past years.

“Other winter events are facing the same problem,” committee member Chris Olafson said. “For the sake of credibility, we should cancel and save events that can still go on.”

A handful of activities that have traditionally been held the same weekend as the Winter Frolic will go on. The Fun with Frosty day will still be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Two Harbors Community Center Feb. 10. In addition, the judo tournament will be held Feb. 12. It is still undetermined whether or not the alumni hockey game will be held or if local businesses will hold their events, such as live music and special dinners, which were in conjunction with the Winter Frolic.

In earlier committee meetings, it was discussed that at least six inches of snow needed to fall in the Two Harbors area to have enough snow for popular events such as the sliding hill, smoosh races, and the vintage snowmobile ride. At one time there was enough snow at the Two Harbors airport to truck into town and spread on First Avenue where events are held, but mild temperatures and rainy weather melted any snow that could be used.

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