353lakelevels
The lake level (in red) remains well below average (blue).The Winter That Wouldn't End
All winter, the 2012-13 snowfall total in Duluth was well below average. And then April arrived. The city received a record-setting 51 inches during the month – not just the snowiest April on record (by nearly 20 inches), but the snowiest month ever, topping the November 1991 record of 50.1 inches. With 129.4 inches total, this winter was Duluth’s third snowiest, just shy of the 1995-96 record of 135.4.
Ashland, Wisconsin, got 25.2 April inches, a new record. Marquette, Michigan: 26.1 inches, the seventh snowiest April. Wawa, Ontario: 56.7 cm (22.3 inches), which is 36.6 cm (14.4 inches) more than normal.
Around the Lake: Transitions
Drew LeBlanc, a native of Hermantown, Minnesota, signed with the Chicago Blackhawks on April 12, less than two hours after the St. Cloud State University senior won the Hobey Baker Memorial Award as college hockey’s top player. Drew, 23, made his NHL debut April 24 against the Edmonton Oilers. After graduating in 2008 from Hermantown High, he was a two-time captain at St. Cloud State, leading the team to the Frozen Four semifinals this spring.
The Burntside Lodge in Ely, Minnesota, will celebrate its 100th year of operation this summer. The lodge, on the National Register of Historic Places since 1988, has now been owned by the LaMontagne family for 72 years.
The Sault (Michigan) Area Chamber of Commerce hired a new executive director in April. Stephanie Kisner started as director on April 16.
The Duluth Playhouse moved its satellite theater, The Play Ground, from the Technology Village to The Depot and gave it a new name, The Underground. The Depot space, previously occupied by the Duluth Children’s Museum, will host performances, arts and culture events, and educational programming. Currently the Children’s Museum is at 115 S. 29th Ave. W.