Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By JUSTIN LIBERTOSKI
MERCER, Wis. — The SkiMECCA Cabin was filled with warm beverages, snacks, treats and chili for skiers and snowshoers to enjoy during the Candlelite Ski/Snowshoe held Saturday night on the MECCA trails.
The event has been held on the last Saturday in January for more than 20 years according to MECCA secretary Kelly Martinko.
Between 100 and 130 candles were lit in preparation for the event and placed along a one-mile loop of the trails. Some of the candles were placed in home-made lanterns crafted by MECCA members Earl Hildebrandt.
There was also a bonfire lit outside of the cabin for people to warm up outside after their trip around the trail.
Ted and Judy Sim attended the event for the third time but decided to ski this year. According to Judy, skiing is much more difficult to do in the dark compared to snowshoeing but it was a fun experience.
The event is put on by the members of MECCA who are also volunteers. Many of them brought baked goods for guests to enjoy. The trails are made up of a combination of Mercer town land, private property, Iron County Forestry Land as well as state land according to Martinko.
Future plans for MECCA include working with the forestry department to get a mountain bike trail up and going.
