Winter Storm Landon brings people out to play across Greater Columbus
Wally, a 3-year-old miniature goldendoodle, hopped over to the entrance of the parking lot, barking excitedly
His furry feet were encased in little booties that his parents, Carolyn and Jon Mandl, said he hates.
The snow, however, is a different story.
“He’s obsessed with the snow,” Carolyn Mandl, 28, said. “He’s a snow puppy.”
The Mandls, who live in German Village, were in the parking lot of the former Panera Bread on South High late Friday morning. Carolyn works from home and Jon, 29, was working remotely due to the weather.
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They decided to try and get some of Wally’s energy out by playing in the snow-covered parking lot on their lunch breaks. While Carolyn was talking about how much Wally loves the snow — eating it, jumping in it, rolling in it — Wally was laying between Jon’s legs, pushing his nose into the white powder.
“He just, like, rubs in it,” she said.
Thursday and Friday brought a lot of the white stuff to Columbus, with the National Weather Service in Wilmington reporting between 3 to 4 inches had fallen overnight. Another 1 to 2 inches was expected during the day, to be followed by a cold snap Saturday and a high of only 22 degrees.
A fun day in the Columbus snow
With many schools and businesses closed again Friday and Franklin County under a Level 2 snow emergency discouraging unnecessary travel, the wintry weather gave people across Greater Columbus a chance to go out and enjoy the snow.
College students living around the University District took advantage of the snowy conditions to enjoy some late-night fun.
Once snow started accumulating Thursday evening, snowball fights broke out across campus late into the night. One young man skied down Lane Avenue toward High Street. By Friday morning though, the fun had quieted down as many Ohio State students returned to campus for in-person classes. A few brave individuals on North 4th Street wearing shorts, boots and hoodies tried to free their cars from the snow.
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At Scioto Audubon Metro Park south of Downtown, the Frencho family enjoyed sledding, saying that it was the perfect type of snow for the task. And while the kids — Jack, 11; Sophia, 9; and Mary, 6 — enjoyed racing down the hill, filling the air with laughter, their parents had fun getting in on the action, too.
“That’s the great thing about having kids is having an excuse to do fun things like sledding,” said dad J.J. Frencho.
People at Olentangy Park in Worthington also were having fun sledding Friday afternoon.
Clutching a newly purchased saucer with both hands, John Chirico, clad in a bright yellow jump suit, gathered himself at the top of the park’s sledding hill and began a full-on sprint toward the precipice, lofted his backside into the sled and held on.
Describing himself as “33 and going on 13,” the Olentangy High School English teacher brought his stepson, Clark Bomsta along, who watched in awe as Chirico missed the saucer on an earlier run and crashed.
The next try was what he wanted, zooming past several smaller children and parents, several dozen of whom were sledding nearby.
“I was just trying to get the most speed,” Chirico, of Worthington Hills, said. “At my size, you need more momentum to go faster. “
Asked about the earlier missed run he said, “I missed the sled. My back’s going to hurt tomorrow.”
Martin Perez, of Linden, brought his three kids, including 16-year-old Jessica, who said she prefers skiing because, “You’re on your own, you move faster and it’s more exhilarating.” The roads prevented him from going Thursday, and he promised his family that Friday would be better.
“They’ve been counting the hours down,” he said.
Chris Jury, 38, took winter fun to the next level. Friday afternoon, he took his wife, Jamie, their three kids — Allie, 9; Mackenzie, 7; and Eli, 5 — and members of another family out on a canoe ride in the snow by pulling it from a four-wheeler in their yard.
“With COVID, we had to come up with ideas on how to have some more fun around home, so we can do that with our friends outside,” Jury said. “So, we got a big canoe they could sit in and be far enough away from each other. I guess it’s become a bit of a tradition now. Whenever we get a good snowfall, our friends come over and we all go canoeing.”
The Hilliard resident had plenty of snow to drive through on his 12-acre property. The city saw about 6.5 inches, according to the National Weather Service.
Enjoying the winter view from inside
Those who didn’t want to be outside could at least appreciate the snow from a warm place.
That was the case for customers at the Chocolate Cafe Express in the Brewery District.
The cafe opened a little late due to the snow, according to Kiana Scheerschmidt, a manager. And, though it had been a slow morning, Scheerschmidt said she was surprised how many customers they did have.
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As for a snowy-day treat? Scheerschmidt recommended the hot chocolate. Or, for a hit of caffeine, the mocha. Grilled cheese and tomato soup is also “such a good treat” for cold days, she said.
In the Arena District, a few people could be seen trickling into Boston’s Pizza Restaurant and Sports Bar as lunchtime neared.
Tim Emery, owner, said 10 employees were scheduled to work lunch, but only three made it in. The rest were stuck at home, their driveways blocked by small mountains of plowed snow.
Meanwhile, T.J. Guzzo, 35, was spending Friday morning shoveling snow outside of the Virtue Vegan Salon in Clintonville. The salon manager said the business has been closed all week for remodeling, but he wanted to make sure the sidewalk was clear for people to walk on.
Guzzo said he would spend his day inside working on the salon, which includes painting and redoing the floors. However, he plans to enjoy the snow on Saturday.
“Tomorrow’s our relaxing day, and we have a little dog that loves running through the snow,” he said.
Reporters Sheridan Hendrix, Danae King, Dean Narciso and Monroe Trombley and photographer Alie Skowronski contributed to this story.
Micah Walker is the Dispatch trending reporter. Reach her at [email protected] or 740-251-7199. Follow her on Twitter @micah_walker701.
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