Jack Frost parade canceled, new events emerge

By TOM LAVENTURE

tlaventure@yourdailyglobe.com

Ironwood — The Jack Frost Parade has been canceled due the increase in COVID-19 cases in the area leading to local spread of the virus, but the Ironwood Area Chamber of Commerce has several ideas to lift the holiday spirit with safer events.

The fate of the parade that was scheduled for Dec. 5, was going to be based on the number of registered parade participants by Nov. 9, according to Michael Meyer, director of the Ironwood Chamber of Commerce. The Jack Frost Festival Board decided on Monday that going forward with the parade would create an unnecessary risk to the community, he said.

“On Friday, as it became clear here in Ironwood that things are rapidly advancing in terms of the number of cases, and the directive from the Western U.P. Health Department that the schools should essentially shut down, that was the thing I guess that spurred our board,” Meyer said. “There were 12 cases in just 24 hours. That was the impetus that we just can’t wait until Nov. 9.”

The Jack Frost Committee included health workers, a school administrator and a Boy Scout leader, he said. A parade attracts hundreds of children and elderly as participants and observers, and runs counter to preventive measures in place to make people more safe.

The people who are in the parade need to get together to build floats and that just hasn’t been possible for most organizations, he said. Schools have transitioned to virtual learning with increased cases, and the health department and full-time care facilities are also very concerned.

“They all indicated that the safest path forward for all concerned, spectators and parade participants alike, is to cancel this year’s event and look forward to 2021,” Meyer said. 

Home Lights & Display Contest

The Jack Frost committee continues to work on holiday ideas for residents to do things at home as a holiday related and pandemic-safe activity. One idea moving forward is a snow sculpture contest and another already confirmed is the “Jack Frost Festival Home Lights & Display Contest.” The chamber announced Tuesday the contest will be expanded to include surrounding communities in Gogebic County and Hurley, Wisconsin — as these are people who would also attend the parade, Meyer said.

Families who enjoy decorating yards and home exteriors for the holidays have asked the chamber for a display contest for some time, he said. The challenges with communal gatherings this year made the home display idea stand out.

“This is the first time the Chamber has sponsored a contest like this,” Meyer said. “In this year of COVID-19, the many group activities that we all like to attend have been pretty much canceled. However, a decorating contest opens up vast possibilities for independent home-based creativity. In keeping with the Yooper spirit, we want to encourage a focus on what we can do and not on those things which we at present cannot.”

The contest has a theme and non-theme division with cash prizes in both categories. The theme division focuses on traditional winter subjects such as Santa Claus, sleigh and reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, Jack Frost, a Nativity scene, or a Christmas tree. Non-theme displays are those without a particular message or theme such as a creative use of lights or decorations.

“Snoopy’s Doghouse” or “A Charlie Brown Christmas” are a couple of examples for non-theme holiday decorations, Meyer said.

There is a $100 first prize in each category, followed by a $50 second prize and a $25 third prize. Each winner is also awarded a ribbon medallion.

The themed displays are judged on a 0 to 10 scale for theme, concept development, and creativity. There are another 0 to 10 points possible for display illumination, cohesive design and overall display presentation.

In the non-themed division there are a possible 0 to 5 points for display design; 0 to 5 points for display lighting, and 0 to 10 points for overall display presentation.

The contest will run from Dec. 1-18 with the judging taking place from Dec. 19-21. Awards announced on Tuesday, Dec. 22.

All registration forms must be turned in to the chamber office by Dec. 18. Pick up a form in person at the chamber office on weekdays between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m. and Saturdays in November from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

For more information, contact the chamber at 906-932-1122, or email chamber@ironwoodchamber.org.

or visit ironwoodchamber.org.