Lack of snow affects winter sports and local business

If you live anywhere near a snowmobile trail, the first sound you hear at the initial sight of snow is the buzzing of snowmobile engines zooming past through drifts of the fluffy white stuff. Unfortunately, for snowmobile enthusiasts in Presque Isle County and throughout Michigan, the falling of fluffy white stuff has been few and far between. Despite the approximate six inches of snow reportedly received in the local area on Monday, the unusual lack of snow during the first half of winter has caused a disruption of local business, and local winter tourism; however, with a little winter luck, the snow will stay long enough for a scheduled stop by the Michigan Snowmobile Association (MSA) in Millersburg.

THE MSA, headquartered in Grand Rapids, represents more than 380,000 registered snowmobilers in Michigan, and strives to ?develop a common appreciation, understanding, and knowledge of the sport of snowmobiling.? According to John Houk, the president of the Northeast Michigan Snowmobile Council and resident of Rogers City, MSA president Ken Scott is scheduled to participate in a trail stop in Millersburg on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The scheduled stop by the MSA would be an important endorsement to the snowmobiling in Presque Isle County; however, the spring-like conditions that dominated the forecasts in the first part of winter have proven that nothing is more unpredictable than Michigan weather. If, for some reason the snow does not choose to stick around, the scheduled stop would be canceled. Houk, like many snowmobile enthusiasts, has been itching to get out on his machine at the first hint of snow.

?I certainly am ready for snow, and I was supposed to go on a trip in the Upper Peninsula?and had to cancel that because there wasn?t any snow there either,? said Houk. ?(The lack of snow) has hurt different places all over Michigan, and we are hurting here, too. We went out and groomed the trails on the first of December, and that was it.? The newly fallen snow this week has made Houk a much happier man. ?It?s not as much as we?d like to have, but there?s enough traffic, and we?ll be out grooming the trails,? said Houk. It is not only the snowmobile business that has been affected by the lack of winter weather ? the sport of ice fishing has also been put on hold. Both sports usually bring a solid push of tourism dollars to local businesses, including Toby?s and the Night Hawk Inn, both located in Hawks and both counting on snowmobilers and ice fishermen to keep them above the red during the long winter months. This winter, the business has been tough. The inland lakes near Hawks have been without ice, and the snowmobile trail that cuts through the heart of Hawks has been vacant.

?IT?S BEEN really quiet, and business has been down,? said Chris Elke of Toby?s, which is owned by her business partner Tim Matuszewski. Matuszewski bought the business in June, and both hoped for a strong winter rush to give them a financial push. ?We have all the plans in place to build a kitchen,? said Elke. ?We were waiting for that second boost in winter, but it has really depended on the snow.? Elke said it is not only the locals who haven?t been able to participate in winter sports; it is also the out of town tourists. ?We depend on the locals, and we also depend on those who have cabins up here, but live downstate,? said Elke. ?They keep calling us and asking if we have snow yet. They haven?t come up because we keep telling them no.? Elke said the money brought in through winter tourism is a big help to the business. Snowmobilers passing through are likely to drop a good amount of cash into the store on gas, food, beverages, and other items. Toby?s also offers a wide variety of deli sandwiches and other food items that snowmobilers and ice fishermen appreciate. They sell bait as well, which has not been a big hit since the lack of ice has kept fishermen off the lakes. Carl ?Preach? Altman, the owner of the Night Hawk Inn, said this has been the second winter in a row where business has been down.

?Last year was the first time?we closed for three days of the week,? said Altman. ?This year, we have found that we can?t depend on the weather or anything else. With both Metz and Millersburg (bars) closed, we are the only place open for quite a stretch (along the snowmobile trail), and we could get some more business because of that.? The Night Hawk Inn has added buffets in order to supplement its menu and attract more business. It also hires a DJ on some Saturday nights in order to attract a younger crowd, which has worked so far. The DJ is scheduled to provide entertainment on February 17 with a Sock-Hop. Due to these changes, the Night Hawk Inn has been able to reopen for a full seven days a week, despite the lack of snowfall that has affected other surrounding businesses. Altman said he also enjoys a good snowmobile ride every winter, and his machine was ?still on the trailer, but ready to go.? Of course, with this week?s snowfall, that very well might have changed.

SOME RESIDENTS might believe that the lack of white stuff the first half of winter would save the county money when it comes to the usual winter workload of the Presque Isle

County Road Commission. Superintendent/manager Eric Rose said that couldn?t be further from the truth. ?You would think we?d be saving tons of money, but actually we don?t,? said Rose. ?Without the snow, we are busy with road maintenance. We maintain the state highways, as well as work on our own roads.? The workers of the Road Commission have been busy blading gravel roads and filling potholes ? usually a spring job. They have also been out on early mornings taking care of slick roads caused by heavy frost. Even though the first half of winter proved very mild, the Road Commission was prepared and ready for action.

?We purchased salt just like we usually do ? we have thousands of tons of salt sitting here waiting,? said Rose. ?We store it in dry sheds, and it will stay good until next year.? With the promise of snow this week, the salt might not have to wait too much longer.

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