Minnesotans cope with non-spring

The skies were cloudy over the Twin Cities before the snow started falling on Monday. The wind was stiff and cold. Temperatures hovered in the 30s.

But that didn't stop the Lavoie family of Brooklyn Park from trying to have a picnic.

In a virtually deserted Como Park, David Lavoie and his family huddled around a picnic table finishing lunch. Finding warm ways to entertain his two children -- ages 4 and one-and-a-half -- has not been easy.

"It's getting depressing waiting for the warmth to come here pretty soon so the kids can get outside and play and run around," Lavoie said.

With snow still on the ground, Lavoie said they have resorted to indoor fun.

"We've gone to your Chuck E. Cheese's to run around sometimes, just let them run through the mall just to kind of get some exercise," he said.

It was too cold to linger in the park, so the family headed off to see the animals in the nearby zoo.

Records show this has been the third-snowiest April on record in Minnesota, with more than 17 inches of snow at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

And with many lakes still frozen, fishermen and boaters are looking for options.

Cliff Lewis, manager of the Bayport Marina in Bayport, Minn., said cold weather is delaying repairs and maintenance on the 200 boats stored there in dry dock. Spring is usually his busiest time of year.

"From our standpoint all we can do is wait it out and do everything we can to prepare so when launch time comes we are ready to just give it our all and go," Lewis said.

Launch time might be on the horizon. Forecasters predict a dramatic warm-up this week, with temperatures climbing into the 60s and 70s by the weekend.

Even so, cabin fever has driven people out of their homes and inside elsewhere this spring.

The Mall of America is seeing 20 percent more visitors this month over the same time last year, mall spokesman Dan Jasper said.

"Usually by now we are getting our first really nice spring days and a lot of Minnesotans and visitors want to be outside," Jasper said. "Since the weather has been so inclement and cold we are seeing a lot of those people coming to Mall of America and enjoying our indoor area as opposed to going outside."

Outdoor recreation has suffered. Schools and sports leagues around the Twin Cities have scrambled to find places to practice and play games.

The Blaine National Sports Center is one place schools have been calling looking for space.

"They are looking last-minute, going 'we can't play, we can't do any training or practices. Do you have anything,'" said Barclay Kruse, spokesman for the sports center. "Actually we don't."

There are no firm numbers for how many outdoor school games and practices have been cancelled.

Even when the snow has melted, teams may still have to wait to play, said the Minnesota State High School League's Howard Voigt.

"When we are talking about grass fields, once the snow is gone we still have to be concerned about frozen grounds," Voight said. "And if we get rain on top of that, they just get soaked and torn up very easily so groundskeepers don't want kids out there playing until the fields are actually playable."

The league is recommending schools try to schedule doubleheaders and play on the weekend whenever possible to make the most of their time.

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