LSSUcontinuesitstime-honoredtraditionofwelcomingspringbyburningasnowman
<spanstyle=”font-weight:400;”>SnowmanBurning2021
<spanstyle=”font-weight:400;”>LakeSuperiorStateUniversityholdsits50thannualSnowmanBurningtowelcomespringbybanishingOldManWinterMarch19.CeremoniescommenceatnoononPlegerCommons.ThiseventisopentoLSSUfaculty,staff,andstudentsandwillbelive-streamedonsocialmediaforthoseoutsideofcampus. PleasefollowtheFourPillarsofLakerSafetywhenattendingthisevent.
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LakeSuperiorStateUniversityburnsamassive,papersnowmanathighnoononthefirstdayofSpring.StudentGovernmentbarbecuehotdogsandservethemtothestudentsandguestsaspartofthecelebration.
History
ThefirstspringsnowmanburningwasheldinMarch1971bythe<ahref=”https://dev-lssu.gotchahosting.com/banished-words-list/unicorn-hunters/”target=”_blank”rel=”noopenernoreferrer”>UnicornHunters,aformercampusclub.Traditionallyithasbeenheldonthefirstdayofspringtobidgood-byetowinterandwelcomespring.
TheburningtakesitsinspirationfromtheRoseSundayFestivalinWeinheim-an-der-Bergstrasse,Germany.Inthefestival,aparadepassesthroughtowntoacentrallocation,wherethemayormakesaproposaltothetown’schildren.Ifthechildrenaregood,study,obeytheirparentsandworkhard,hewillorderthe(straw)snowmantobeburned,andspringwillofficiallyarrive.Afterthechildrenyelltheirapprovalandmaketheirpromise,thesnowmanisburned.
Somepeopleholdthatrisingsmokerisingfromthefireissupposedtowardoffblizzardsandusherinspring-likeweather.TheUnicornHunterscapitalizedonthistheoryduringthesecondorthirdyearoftheevent.Atthattime,afterthesnowmanwasburned,ablizzardpassedthroughtheeasternUpperPeninsulaandnorthernLowerPeninsulabutmissedSaultSte.Marie.
Snowmen
LSSU’ssnowmanhastakenonmanyshapesovertheyears.Duringthe1970s,whenwomen’sliberationwasanewsissue,a”snowperson”wasburned.Inthe1980s,whenclonesand”cloning”werefirstinthenews,a”snowclone”wastorched.TheUnicornHuntersalsoburnedaSnowAyatollahKhomeniduringtheIranhostagecrisis.Inthelate1980s,thesnowmenbegantotaketheformofaLakeStaterivalhockeyteam,usuallywhicheverteamtheLakerswereplayingthatweekend.Thiswasdroppedafterafewyearswhenmanycomplainedthatitbroughtbadlucktotheteam.
Snowmenaremadeoutofwood,paperdestinedfortherecyclingbin,alongwithsomestraw,wireandsomepaint.Theyareusuallyhuskyandstand10to12feettall.
PastEventFestivities
Poetryisusuallyacornerstoneeventatsnowmanburnings,butparticipationvarieseveryyear.Students,faculty,staff,retirees,townspeopleandelementaryschoolchildrenhaveallwrittenpoemsforthesnowmanburning.Usually,themasterofceremonieswelcomesthecrowdandgivesahistoryoftheactivity.Then,thepoems,ifthereareany,arereadwhilethesnowmanburns.
Severalyearsago,LSSU’spublicrelationsofficeturnedthepoetryreadingintoacontest.Amonthorsobeforethefirstdayofspring,anelementaryclassortwowassingledoutandaskedtowritepoemsforthesnowmanburning.Thestudentswereeagertoparticipate.Theysubmittedpoemsaweekortwobeforetheevent,andtheywerejudged.Thetopthreewerereadbytheemceeattheceremony.Prizeswereawarded.Poetsorwould-bepoetsweregiventhechancetoreadtheirownworksorhavetheemceereadthem.
Fromintroductiontoconclusion,theceremonylastsapproximately15minutes.
YearWithoutSnowmanBurning
TheUniversityneverknewjusthowmanypeopleenjoyedandfollowedsnowmanburninguntiltheeventwascancelledin1992duetoenvironmentalconcerns.Astudentgroup,theEnvironmentalAwarenessClub,protestedthatmanytoxinsarereleasedintotheatmospherewhenasnowmanburns.Whilethismaybetrue,theUniversitypointedoutthatitsstudentsandstaffputmanymorecontaminantsintheairjustbydrivingtoschoolonanygivenday.
TheEnvironmentalAwarenessClub’sconcernswerebroughttolightthedaybeforetheeventwastooccur,andthePRofficeabruptlycanceledthatyear’sburning,sayingthattheeventissupposedtobelight-heartedandfun,andtheydidn’twantittotakeonanegativetone.ThePROfficesuggestedthatemployeesandstudentsleavetheircarsathomeandwalktocampusonthatdaytooffsetanyenvironmentaldamagetheburningsnowmanmayhavecausedovertheyears.
Onthedayofthecancelledevent,reporterscalledasexpected,butsodidmanylocalresidents,businesspeopleandcitypoliticians,whowerefurious.Itwasthetopicofconversationforweeks(anditstillcomesup!)andmanystudentsandradiopersonalitiesvowedtocontinuedthe22-yeartradition.ANorthDakotaradiostationputorganizersofthesnowmanburningontheairliveduringacall-inshow.Everylistenerwhocalledsaidhe/shewouldvotetocontinuethetradition.
Radio,TVandnewspaperreportersturnedoutonthedayoftheeventtointerviewstudentsoncampus.Studentsgatheredwheretheeventwassupposedtohaveoccurred.Theyreadpoetry,passedoutdaffodilsandcalledforthesnowmantobeburned.
Needlesstosay,thetraditionwasresumedthefollowingyear.
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