The Family Freeze celebration on Friday, Feb. 24 is a free, family-friendly precursor to the Burning Snowman. A party for the youngsters, it is held from 4-7 p.m. on the Lake Erie beach. (Photo by D’Arcy Patrick Egan)

BY SHERI TRUSTY

By the end of February, Northwest Ohioans are ready to put the cold winter behind them and step into the warmth of spring. In Port Clinton, they’ve found a unique way to say goodbye to winter.

They burn it down.

On Saturday, Feb. 25, thousands of people will flock to downtown Port Clinton and Dock’s Beach House and Mr. Ed’s Bar & Grill for the annual Burning Snowman Fest. The winter music festival for the 21-and-over crowd features live music, food, drinks and a burning 25-foot snowman.

Festival entertainment will be provided by Rockstead from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Hard Candy from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., DJ Adubb from noon to 9 p.m. and DJ Xipilli from noon to 9 p.m. A separate but connected event will take place at Mr. Ed’s Bar and Grill which will feature food vendors and the music of Our Short Years from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., Trailer Park Ninjas from 8 p.m. to midnight, DJ Adubb from midnight to 2 a.m., Eric Sowers Band from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. and Jacob Lones Band from 8 p.m. to midnight.

Parking is limited at the event, but a fleet of shuttles will offer free transportation from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. Shuttles will make a continuous loop between the

festival and at least 15 sponsor restaurants and bars, allowing eventgoers to bar hop all day long.

The Burning Snowman Fest will once again give locals the opportunity to give a flaming goodbye to winter after sundown on Saturday, Feb. 25 on the Lake Erie Beach sat Dock’s Beach House, across the street from Mr. Ed’s Bar & Grill in Port Clinton. (Photo by D’Arcy Patrick Egan)

“The shuttle spots have grown and grown every year,” said Burning Snowman committee member Lenny Kromer. “People are encouraged to start their day off at our sponsors and get food and drinks. They can bop around from sponsor to sponsor, and we’ll have bands, drinks and a fire on the beach all day at the festival.”

The Burning Snowman will be set on fire on the beach at Dock’s Beach House at about 7:30 p.m.

“All roads end at the festival at 7:30,” Kromer said.

In addition to bringing business and fun to Port Clinton, the festival also serves as a fundraiser for local organizations. This year’s recipients will be Mr. Ed’s Kids for Christmas, Team VIAC and Ottawa County Family Advocacy Center.

“We also donate to the Port Clinton police and fire departments for all their hard work,” Kromer said.

Because the Burning Snowman Fest is for adults only, organizers will host The Family Freeze on, Friday, Feb. 24, a free family-friendly event for all ages. The Family Freeze will run from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. and will feature DJ Adubb, live ice carving, face painting, hot cocoa, s’mores and a fire show by the Ohio Burn Unit. Two 7-foot snowmen will be set on fire.

“It’s more or less a mini Burning Snowman Fest for the kids,” Kromer said.

The Family Freeze snowmen were built by Port Clinton High School Wood Tech student Jordan Mazur.

“This year, I just have one boy tackling it. He’s one of my older kids, and this is something he is very capable of. He jumped in and put it together,” said Wood Tech teacher Garry Denman.

Lateral Gig has created several styles of Burning Snowman merchandise, including t-shirts, hoodies, joggers, hats, blankets, and tumblers. For a full list of available Burning Snowman merchandise and to preorder, visit www.lateralgig.world/collections/the-official-burning-snowman-collection.

Tickets are available on the day of the event, but only presale tickets will include entry into Mr. Ed’s as well. Presale tickets information can be found on the Burning Snowman Fest Facebook page.