Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By ZACHARY MARANO
Ironwood — On Saturday, about 100 people from the western Upper Peninsula and Wisconsin’s northwoods gathered together to mark the end of the Jack Frost Festival by burning their Christmas trees at the “Light Up the Night” party at the Norrie Amateur Sports Club near the Hiawatha statue in Ironwood.
Embers rose high into the night sky above the fire. According to the organizers, more than 260 Christmas trees were stacked on the pile when they started the burn. An additional 83 trees and 150 wooden pallets were gradually added to the pyre to keep it going into the night after the start time at 7 p.m. There were also fireworks in the field adjacent to the club.
“It was well attended and everybody enjoyed themselves. Out of all the years we’ve done it, I think this was one of our best ever,” Norrie Club President Steve Lehto said. “The weather turned out great and everybody looked like they were having a great time.”
The weather cooperated for the 13th annual burn, with no rain or snow. And with temperatures in the upper 10s, people didn’t even need to stand too close to the fire to stay warm.
The Christmas trees were either dropped off at the club or picked up by club members if people were unable to transport them. According to the club Facebook page, they started picking up trees a month before the burn and travelled anywhere between Iron Belt, Wisconsin, and Wakefield to get them.
Club members started building the pile Friday afternoon and completed it Saturday. Club secretary Christiana Morzenti cleared the snow for the burn pile with a plow truck and Lehto and former president Rod Smith stacked the trees.
An hour before the burn, there was a snowshoe hike around the clubhouse.
A beer tent was outside and hot chocolate was inside the clubhouse, with a small campfire and s’mores for kids.
