It may have felt like it since, oh, Thanksgiving, but tomorrow is the actual first day of Spring. And that got me to thinking about time-honored UP spring traditions.
Some are no longer around, like the high school basketball tournaments that used to be held at the old Hedgecock Fieldhouse in Marquette.
Others are just hanging on by the skin of their teeth, like the smelt run. But thankfully we still have one UP spring tradition that might be stronger than ever.
And that would be the return of our snowbirds.
Every winter it seems like half of the UP’s population picks up and moves to Michigan’s third peninsula, Florida, where they enjoy the sun and call their kids to complain every time the temperature dips below 60.
And the beginning of spring–mid-March–usually starts their annual migration back north, where they’ll spend the summer reigning over all they see.
In that respect, they’re kinda like Canadian Geese, but with RV’s instead of wings.
Over the next two months, the UP will start filling up again with a big chunk of our 65+ population, where they’ll be greeted with lots of hugs, many people commenting on their tans, and, if tradition holds, at least one snow storm that will make them reconsider whether or not they should have stayed in Florida a few weeks longer.
Those of us who live in the UP year-round may look on the whole cycle with a little bemusement, but snowbirds take their snowbirding seriously.
In fact, if you ever want to make a special older person in your life happy, ask them where they go for the winter. You can then sit back and listen as they tell you everything you ever wanted to know–and probably a lot more–about their favored spot down south. And for a few bonus points, ask them which of their UP friends winter nearby.
Because trust me–where one Yooper snowbird goes, many more are bound to follow.
So now that it’s officially Spring we can look forward to the one UP Spring tradition that is still going strong… the annual return of our snowbirds.
I’m Jim Koski, and that’s another slice of “Life in the 906.”
