January thaw melts away hopes for several Twin Cities winter events
MINNEAPOLIS — From snowy slush to muddy muck, the ice on the lakes isn't safe to skate on in most of Minnesota.
Many outdoor events in the Twin Cities are being canceled, including the final weekend of the U.S. Pond Hockey Championships in Minneapolis.
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The tournament's Golden Weekend was supposed to start Friday. After a great start to the tournament last weekend — with what organizers said was some of the best ice they've ever had — the rinks out on Lake Nokomis have now turned into a soupy mess.
Organizers say it was a tough decision, especially after so many questions this winter about whether the tournament would even happen.
"Safety is number one and we had to make that decision," said event manager Jesse Delorit. "Mother Nature, she can turn on you in a heartbeat or she can be kind to you."
Dozens of those teams plan on going to some indoor ice in Bloomington to play Friday just for fun.
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Minneapolis has canceled the Luminary Skating Party that was supposed to take place at Bryant Square Park this weekend. The city says it's because the park grounds are too muddy. They hope to bring the event back next year.
Langford Park Winter Classic hockey tournament canceled
St. Paul's annual Langford Park Winter Classic hockey tournament is canceled too.
"Mother Nature had a lot of heat and just dumped it on the ice," said Norman Thomford.
It's how Norman and his brother Henry describe the cancellation of the Langford Park Hockey Tournament in St. Paul.
"I was going to play on the Squirt C team and it got cancelled because of the weather and the rinks are now melting," said Henry Thomford.
Laura Mays is one of the coordinators for the event, and this would have been its 65th year.
"We don't need anyone breaking an ankle, hitting a hole in the ice, getting hurt, so we need to make sure everyone stays safe," said Mays.
One good thing to come out of the warm-up, is that other associations stepped up to donate indoor ice time to the players.
"It's a rare commodity to have indoor ice and the fact that they are sharing it with us is just a beautiful aspect of hockey," said Mays.
Lake Harriet Art Shanty projects will go on as planned
But there is at least one frozen lake event that's still happening this weekend, and that's the art shanty projects on Lake Harriet in Minneapolis.
"You can still walk on this. That's the most important part for us. Skating gets a little hairy. but we're good," said Neal Sorensen, co-chair.
Sorensen said despite wet conditions, there's still about 14 inches of ice on Lake Harriet.
"We have 20 shantys this year for the 20 years we've been around," said Sorensen.
That includes Louis Kaufman's interactive project called the "Poem for Entangled Living."
"I have some metal spikes that go on there. Especially when there is water on the ice it's really slick," said Kaufman.
Like many of the Minnesota artists involved, he's been working on this for months. They set up last weekend in frigid temperatures and wind. Beginning Saturday, they'll show off their work in rubber boots.
"I was just out here with some friends, and it was the first time they had been on a frozen lake. I just think the experience is a little more niche or novel and exciting," said Kaufman.
The Art Shanty Projects will run Saturday and Sunday, and they are also planning on having Kite Fest on the lake. Coordinators believe there could be more than 20,000 people on Lake Harriet this weekend.
Other Twin Cities area cancellations
The city of Minneapolis announced that all outdoor ice rinks at Minneapolis parks will close.
"Operations staff worked tirelessly to open rinks during a challenging and unusual winter, but unfortunately the weather did not cooperate this year. Another update will be sent if there is a significant change in the forecast and rinks are able to reopen," the city said in a statement.
Ice rinks in Golden Valley have officially closed for the season, and warming houses have been closed in Richfield.
The 40th annual Wayzata Chilly Open on Lake Minnetonka is also now canceled, and Chanhassen already pulled the plug on its February Festival.