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April 27, 2008

Winter-like weather puts chill on events

Parade, annual Grill Day, other activities adjust due to cold

By Tim Krohn

The St. Peter Food Co-op tried to be nice to Mother Earth, but she wasn’t nice back.

The group’s first Procession of the Species Earth Day parade had to be postponed after organizers were greeted with a coating of snow, high winds and temperatures hovering near freezing Saturday morning.

Sporting events, many delayed from previous rain-outs, were either postponed or pushed back to later in the day Saturday. The Mankato Royals youth baseball team went ahead with their tryouts Saturday morning — but they held them inside a gym and a warehouse.

At DeGrood’s Electronics and Appliances employees were setting up grills inside a tent in the parking lot, getting ready for their annual Grilling Day.

“We’ll be grilling in our parkas. No shorts and sandals today,” said Steve DeGrood.

They went ahead with grilling bacon, brats, mushroom and pork for customers and hoping the tent didn’t blow away in high winds.

“I said if it snowed one more time this spring I was leaving,” DeGrood said. “But I have nowhere to go.”

Nearby, at Drummers’ Garden Center, workers were rinsing snow off of flowers and hoping they could be saved.

“We knew it was going to get cold, but not this cold,” said Julie Drummer. “We’d left some marigolds out. They had more wind damage than frost damage.

“It looks more like February than almost May.”

The delayed spring has slowed business. “Last year we had perfect weekends. It makes a huge difference.”

She said most customers have been cautious about putting plants out yet because of the cool spring.



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