Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By RALPH ANSAMI
Ironwood — Participants in the weekend’s Sisu Ski Fest cross country marathon races in Ironwood will have the opportunity to step back into time when the Gogebic Range was hit with “the mother of all blizzards.”
To commemorate the 10th annual Sisu, a “Storm of the Century” exhibit has been assembled in the Memorial Building rotunda.
Visitors will be able to view photos and displays depicting the deadly blizzard of 1938 that brought commerce to a halt with 25-foot snow drifts in downtown Ironwood.
Snow began falling on Jan. 24 in the Upper Peninsula and by the time it had ended, it was as deep in drifts as the wires on telephone poles.
Thirty-plus inches fell in 30 hours. The plows of those days weren’t equipped to deal with that much snow, so everything shut down for about three days.
Some people crawled out of second-story windows to access the outside world and in Ironwood, children trapped inside a school were forced to sleep four nights on exercise mats in the gymnasium.
A plow driver was asphyxiated on carbon monoxide and a lumberjack froze inside his truck, according to accounts of the storm.
The 1938 storm exhibit will be free and open to the public and it will remain in place during business hours through Feb. 19.
Ample snow
Jackie Powers, race director, said, “Mother Nature has blessed us with ample snow for an excellent race course this year, as well as moderate temperatures for racers, volunteers and spectators.”
Unlike recent races, there are no sub-zero day-time temperatures in the immediate forecast.
The ski festival centers on the 31-kilometer cross country Sisu race and 15-K Heikki Lunta race that originate at ABR Trails in Erwin Township and end in downtown Ironwood on Saturday. The portion of the race course between ABR Trails and the downtown is groomed for skiing on Sisu weekend only, “making the race a unique experience for locals and visitors alike,” Powers said.
For non-competitive skiers, a Hauska Hiihto 5-K Fun Ski starts in Miners Memorial Heritage Park and follows the last 5 kilometers of the race course.
All participants will gather at the Memorial Building for mojakka (Finnish stew) and pasties, an awards ceremony and door prize give-aways. Winners receive awards featuring the Sisu Ski Fest logo, custom-crafted by UP Fabricating, of Negaunee.
Related events
On Saturday night, a party at the Historic Ironwood Theatre features music of Conge se Menne, with its original U.P.-inspired Finnish reggae and crowd-pleasing persona. Doors open at 6 p.m. with Kelly’s Bar and the concession stand and a slide show from the inaugural 2010 SISU, then music at 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
The festival begins Friday with the Depot Dash, a fun ski for kids 10 and under, at Depot Park in downtown Ironwood. Youths can try skiing for free or bring their own skis and play on skis, with adult assistance. The event is free and open to the public.
Sisu weekend concludes Sunday with a fat bike “Try Out the Trails” event at 11a.m., hosted by the Sisu Dirt Crew. Powers said it showcases fat bike trails at Wolverine, from the Snow Summit Road trailhead on the way to Big Powderhorn.
Registrations will be accepted online until 10 p.m. Friday or in-person at the Race Expo Friday from 4 to 10 p.m. The 5K Fun Ski registration continues until 11 a.m. Saturday.
For information or to register, go to sisuskifest.com.
As part of the special winter weekend, many downtown stores will be open late Friday night with bargains for shoppers in the tradition of the First Friday events initiated in the city more that a year ago.
