On Saturday, February 23, 2019, visitors and residents from all across Ottawa County converged on Port Clinton for the 5th Annual Burning Snowman Fest.
This annual event raised funds for local charities including the Ottawa County Family Advocacy Center, Mr. Ed’s Kids for Christmas, Rettsyndrome.org, and the Port Clinton Police and Fire Departments.
After a day of food and entertainment, everyone slowly made their way over to the beach, where Virgil, the 30-foot-tall snowman, waited for his time to shine.
At 7:00 pm sharp, Virgil was set on fire and lit up in a roaring orange blaze that stood out starkly for miles around in the cold night sky. The crowd watched as the burning snowman was enveloped in smoke and ashes, illuminating everyone’s faces and bringing a happy flash of warmth to the cool, rainy evening.
Within minutes, the blaze was over, but the burning snowman continued to slowly burn afterwards. As Virgil the snowman’s trunk sparkled in the darkness with the glowing orange embers that remained from its first light, event attendees took photos, laughed with their friends, and headed back to their homes and their cars, happy for the reminder that in the midst of winter, in all of our hearts, there lies, as the French philosopher Albert Camus once wrote, “an invincible summer.”
Want to see photos of the burning snowman getting burnt at the Burning Snowman Fest? Check out these spectacular images from Amy E. Voigt at the Toledo Blade!