SAULT STE. MARIE — After being postponed a week, Lake Superior State University’s annual snowman burning happened Thursday evening.
Strong winds last Thursday (March 20), which was the first day of spring, made officials move the event to this Thursday.
The burning is their way to say good-bye to Old Man Winter and hello to spring.
The 10 to 12 foot snowman is actually made out of wood and paper, along with straw, wire and some paint.
The first snowman burning was held in March 1971 by a former university club called the “Unicorn Hunters”.
Sam Warner from Sault Ste. Marie attended the event with her husband and kids for the first time, “It was cool. I mean, it’s been a long winter and it’s a half-way decent day so figured we would take the kids out. Hopefully this is a sign that this is all going to start melting and things are going to warm up. I think everybody is ready for that.”
The ritual today will not end winter as the Sault Ste. Marie area is expected to see a mixed bag of wintry weather over the next few days.