Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Did you know that St. Patrick was not even Irish? He was born on the west coast of England and received his call to preach the gospel and spread Christianity around Ireland. He used a shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity with its three green leaves. St. Patrick might not have been Irish, but the O’Phelan family is! They organized a very festive weekend to celebrate the holiday complete with traditional Irish food and live music. Sassanatch played some live pub music Saturday and Sunday and Max Bichel was on the violin on Friday night. The server girls all dressed in green hats and bling all weekend long. The customers had a ball being dined and entertained at the same time! One of the reasons for the great attendance was the fact that March is spring break time for schools all around the Midwest. A lot of families and college students use this time to get their last ski in before all the snow melts. What’s good for local businesses is that we have lots of guests and customers midweek too, rather than just on the weekends.

Speaking of snow melt, a sudden warm up came within the last few weeks and has really done a number on our snow. Along the Lake Superior shoreline has been hardest hit with lesser effects farther inland. Decent spring skiing and snowmobiling can still be had, but one needs to head back into the woods a little ways to find it. We are crossing our fingers for cooler temps and one more decent snowfall to happen sometime soon. The warm conditions have also caused the cancellation of the Horse Drawn Sleigh Rides for the rest of the season. Jack and Julie, the two big Belgium Horses, step down with so much force that they punch through the weak snow base all the way to the ground. This could cause major damage to their hooves and legs. It’s always better to be safe than sorry. Marco and his team entertained hundreds of happy riders over the course of the winter. A special thanks goes out to Marco Good, Jack and Julie! You will be missed. The ice along the shoreline is gone now as well and all you can see is the royal blue waters of Gitchee Gummee. Rivers and creeks are starting to break too. Spring is just around the corner.

March Madness

The shoreline of Lake Superior around the area is usually open water most of the winter. In the last few weeks however, ice has settled in massive amounts. Our food vendor Ed ventured out on the ice to snap this seldom seen look at the main lodge from out on ice. Several of our guests were also out there too. These people are truly some brave souls. We have recently added a Facebook Cascade Lodge & Restaurant Business Page. It’s really neat with lots of info, cool pictures, events and links. It’s a great way to promote the resort and restaurant and doesn’t cost us anything. Check it out if you have Facebook and we welcome you to become a fan! To keep the lodge and cabins up to date, over the winter we have installed a new wood floor in cabin 14, and painted in room 202 and 212. Room 202 is a mint green now and very refreshing. That was done just in time for the St. Patrick’s Week Celebration. As you know the O’Phelan’s are a proud Irish family and celebrate the holiday big time. We have a lodging special that week where you can get free ski and snowshoe rentals for the whole family if you stay 3 or more nights. The restaurant will have traditional Irish Food and Music. On Friday, March 13 from 6:30-8:30pm Max Bichel will be playing Irish tunes on the Violin. That Saturday and Sunday from 6:30-9pm the group Sassanach, will be playing live Celtic pub music. The food features will be Corn Beef and Cabbage, Mulligan Stew, Irish Fish n’ Chips, Colcannon and Lamb Chops. Should be a festive time with everything going on, because nobody knows how to celebrate St. Patty’s like the O’Phelan clan!