Michigan communities prep their upcoming winter festival plans
As fall temperatures turn chilly, Michigan communities are working to use the weather to their advantage by making the state’s frigid cold into an experience for visitors.
By Olivia O'Neill
Capital News Service
LANSING — As fall temperatures turn chilly, Michigan communities are working to use the weather to their advantage by making the state’s frigid cold into an experience for visitors.
“Michigan strives to be a premier four-season destination,” said Danielle Emerson, the public relations manager at Pure Michigan, the state’s official travel promotion agency.
“I wouldn’t undersell our winter season. I think a neat facet of our winter is that a whole outdoor recreation industry is built around it,” Emerson said.
One of the many winter festivals Michigan offers is the Zehnder’s Snowfest in Frankenmuth, running from February 3-7 of this upcoming year.
It features snow sculpting competitions, hauling in snow from Up North to meet the quota of blocks of snow for teams from all over the world, the U.S. and Michigan to compete in a snow carving contest.
“They start carving all week long,” said Bryanne Galganski, one of the owners of Amazin’ Mitten, a small boutique featuring hand-crafted items in Frankenmuth.
“Then usually the weekend of Snowfest is when we get a lot of our travelers that are decked out in all their snow gear, and they enjoy watching and seeing what all they’ve been able to accomplish,” Galganski said.
Frankenmuth’s bigger businesses close off parking lots to host the competitions.
In preparation for the event, Frankenmuth starts piling large blocks of snow, sometimes sourcing them weeks prior either from their own local snow or from northern regions of the state, prepping for the teams to get to sculpting.
“That in itself is amazing because I don’t know how people can chisel snow just with the tools they have and make it look like something,” Galganski said.
Winter festivals act as an economic driver in many of these smaller communities that host them.
“You see floods and floods of people,” Galganski said. “The stores are usually shoulder to shoulder packed with people, which for us is a joy.”
For small family-owned businesses like Amazin’ Mitten, these events provide a spark in customers and popularity.
“The winter season for us is definitely our busiest time,” Galganski said. “People love to get into the holiday spirit. They kind of call our town ‘Whoville’ during that time frame or feel like they’re in a Hallmark movie.”
Galganski said the city sees hundreds of thousands of people during the winter months, but once Snowfest is over, it’s the end of the busy season.
After the Christmas holiday season is over, some businesses see a slowdown in customers, but these festivals revive the businesses.
“Usually January is definitely going to be one of our slower seasons just after the holidays,” said Grace Sheposh, the manager at Old World Olive Co., a gourmet grocery store in Plymouth.
“It definitely is very nice that our sales do pick up for the ice festival, ” she said, referring to the Plymouth Ice Festival. “It does bring thousands of people from all over the state and other states who have never been to our small town.”
It features ice carvings lined across Plymouth’s sidewalks, with over 150 carvings showcased last season, according to Plymouth Ice Festival’s website.
“Some of the sculptures are even 6-7 feet tall,” Sheposh said. “It’s insane that the people will be out there on ladders with chainsaws and carving knives.”
It will return Feb. 5 through Feb. 7, said James Gietzen, the festival director.
This previous season, the festival introduced a zip line and a Hot Chocolate and S’mores Porch. It is continuing its traditions of the Ice Playground, Ice Throne, festival bingo, petting farm and an indoor Hot Spot warming area.
“Visitors can walk through Kellogg Park and downtown to see the sculptures, stop for hot chocolate, enjoy a meal and browse local shops,” Gietzen said. “It’s an opportunity to experience everything Plymouth has to offer while celebrating the season.”
Gietzen said new features will be announced closer to the event, but the ice sculptures are still the centerpiece of the experience.
The winter festival season seems to be thriving, and continuing that trend going into upcoming festivities, enthusiasts say.
Sheposh said, “Honestly, [colder weather] brings more people.”
“In the years that the weather has been warmer, our ice sculptures melt faster, so we don’t get to have it for all three days. When the weather’s colder, there’s definitely more activities,” she said.
Gietzen said, “Cold weather is part of the magic. It allows us to turn downtown into an outdoor art gallery, with sculptures that are here for a limited time.”
Among the other festivals coming up this winter are:
- Festival of Trees, Nov. 6-8, Traverse City
- Dutch Winterfest, Dec. 1-5, Holland
- World of Winter, Jan. 8-Feb. 28, throughout downtown Grand Rapids
- Grand Haven Winterfest, Jan. 28-31
- South Haven Ice Breaker Festival, Feb. 5-7
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