Stuck in Winter While Looking Forward to Spring and Beyond

I don’t know if this time of year is difficult for anyone else in northern Michigan, but it has always
been a bit of a struggle for me. We have endured what feels like 4 months of winter, and it is
hard to believe that spring will ever come, let alone in a month or so. I tend to fill my winter with
lots of distractions as I have mentioned in previous blogs, and this year offered an amazing
bonus distraction with the return of the Winter Olympic Games. The games were full of exciting
stories and comebacks, and Team USA, once again, did not disappoint. They secured more
gold medals than any USA team ever has, and one of those gold medals was won by Boyne
City native, Kaila Kuhn who was a part of the mixed team aerials.

But now what? Here we are at the end of February, and it feels like we have had 1,000 feet of
snow this season with no signs of slowing down. (Our actual year to date according to the
National Weather Service is 124.3 feet). I am not sure if the groundhog saw his shadow earlier
this month or not, but let’s be honest, doesn’t northern Michigan always have at least six more
weeks of winter?

So, as we throw on our layers and shovel our front steps for the 50th time this winter, here is a list of things to look forward to in the near future.

1. The college basketball season is just beginning to heat up, and both the men’s and women’s Michigan State and University of Michigan have amazing teams this year. Selection Sunday (the day when the teams are chosen for the 2026 NCAA basketball
   tournament) is two weeks away on Sunday, March 15, so what better time than to start
   watching your favorite team play. (Go Green)
2. Take in a live performance or a movie. Great Lakes Center for the Arts has plenty of
   movies and live performances planned for the late winter early spring. You can see their
   lineup by clicking here.
3. The Highlands at Harbor Springs dedicates the entire month of March to celebrating
   spring’s arrival. Starting with Hops ‘n Highlands, which takes place this year on March 7,
   they have events going on the first three weekends of March including a St. Patrick’s Day
   celebration on March 14 featuring Irish-themed food and beverage specials. Then, their
   season culminates with their wildly popular Slush Cup on March 21. Click here to see all
   of the fun events taking place at The Highlands.
4. Boyne Mountain is going to be a great destination this end of winter/beginning of spring
   season as well. Their Kid’s Festival Weekend is coming up March 13-15, and the
   following weekend, March 21 and 22 is Carnival Weekend. On top of all of that, you can
   visit Iglu Boyne Mountain, a cool snow fort bar, and SkyBridge Michigan which right now
   is lit up at night with over 200,000 lights. Plus they have winter tubing and so many other
   fun outdoor activities. Click here to see a list of their events.
5. Grandpa Shorter’s Gifts is also planning a boutique crawl in downtown Petoskey on
   Saturday, March 14 where participants can win Downtown Dollars or a multitude of gift
   cards from participating stores. Follow Grandpa Shorters on Facebook for more
   information and to see a list of stores participating.

Whether you plan to spend the remainder of winter outdoors, or bundled up on your couch, I promise you that spring is right around the corner even here in northern Michigan.

Feeling extra lousy this time of year? You are not alone. Two years ago, right around this time, I wrote a blog about coping with the wintertime blahs. Click here to read that.