At the end of February, Port Clinton residents hold a bonfire like no other in the state: they set a 30-foot snowman on fire.
It’s the Ohio city’s way of saying goodbye to the bitter cold of winter, and a nod to the famed “Burning Man" festival, hosted in the blistering heat of Nevada’s Black Rock Desert.
But, instead of a dusty desert and psychedelic drugs, Ohio’s Burning Snowman Fest brings the northern Ohio city out of hibernation and onto the snowy beaches of Lake Erie.
“It just really helps with the morale of everybody getting everybody out of the house, drinking cold beer, breathing some cold air and putting their cell phones away, and really helps usher out that cabin fever that everyone feels this time of year,” said Lenny Kromer, creator of the festival.
Setting Frosty on fire
Kromer began the festival a decade ago. He noticed that local businesses suffered in the slow winter months and wanted to find a way to bring people in.
He had a band ready to perform, so live music was a no-brainer. But, he knew he also needed something spectacular to get people to brave the cold.
“We figured out, ‘Hey, maybe just burn a snowman on the beach’,” Kromer said. “Maybe that'll help bring people out.”
Kromer has never been to Nevada’s “Burning Man”, but the idea of banishing winter with fire resonated. So, each year he constructs a giant snowman out of wood and paper and then engulfs it in flames.
Cold catharsis
At the Burning Man festival, people often place items they want to let go of into the effigy. That’s not a requirement in Port Clinton, said Kromer. Still, festival goers often burn things they want to leave behind.
“We've burned wedding dresses in there. We put friends' ashes in there,” Kromer said.
Kromer is glad people find catharsis in the event. Recently, Kromer said he’s been naming each snowman after a friend or loved one that died in the last year, as a way to honor their memory.
“I'm hoping for the year where something of that circumstance doesn't prompt the name. But so long as it does, that's the best way that I know how to honor people that are close to me that happened to pass away.”
Warming up the town
Although the snowman fire is the main attraction, it’s far from the only event. “Burning Snowman” hosts a variety of local music acts and additional flame-filled fun. Ohio’s Burn Unit, a fire entertainment troupe, warms up the crowds with fire-dancing and fire-juggling.
And while most of the festival is for ages 21 and over, there is a kid-friendly day so that families can take part in some of the fun.
The event attracted around 3,500 people to the Snowman effigy alone last year. Kromer said he expects around 4,000 this year.
“A lot of people end up just partying at all the local bars and establishments and restaurants that participate in the festival and never even make it out to the festival because we have free shuttles that go to all of our sponsors,” Kromer said. “And so they're able to really help make this a citywide event.”
Not only does it get people out and about enjoying Port Clinton, Kromer said all the event proceeds go to local charities. Plus, Kromer said the camaraderie at the event is enough to warm up even the most frigid of winters.
“Right before we burn that snowman, seeing that beach packed to the eye can see, with people cheering and chanting…” Kromer said. “That is something that you can't buy.”
