More 1991 Halloween Blizzard memories from News Tribune readers

More stories from News Tribune readers about the 1991 Halloween Blizzard that dropped more than 3 feet of snow on parts of the Northland; find the first batch here: Extra day of vacation Myself, my mother Ruth Karki, and my girlfriend Gerry Aho flew out to Elko, Nev., on a gambling junket to celebrate my birthday. All went well until it was the day to fly home and it was announced that we were to stay an extra day/night at the casino, as no flights were able to land in Duluth.Well, darn the luck!We didn’t mind, as they paid for another night’s stay. Then it was my birthday, and somehow secretly Gerry had arranged for the casino hotel to have room service deliver me a birthday cake and champagne (on the house!) to our room. What more could we ask for??The next day they said the Duluth airport was “open” and we could fly back. All went well until we got near Duluth and then the flight got very choppy and scary. One of our fellow passengers started reciting the Lord’s Prayer out loud as we were doing our approach. We think it was meant to be “funny,” but at the time, it was NOT!We did land safely. We found our car covered and surrounded by snow in the parking lot. Somehow we got it cleared away and checked under the hood. It was packed solid with snow!! So I called my husband for him to come and pick us up, and all he said was “FORGET IT!"So needless to say, we were three ladies on our own. We somehow managed to get the car into the airport’s underground, heated garage, where it defrosted for several hours. Then we headed out to Cromwell. It took us several hours. The roads were like "cow paths" and lumpy and bumpy, but we finally arrived safely at home!It will be a birthday celebration we’ll never forget! Kathy Olson lives in Cromwell. --- Trick-or-treating windfall My mom, my stepdad and I lived on West Third Street in the Observation Hill area in 1991. I was in kindergarten, and like any kid that age was dying to go trick or treating Halloween night. My mom worked the midnight shift at the prison camp and my stepdad took me trick or treating. When we left the house, a good portion of the snow had already fallen. My dad was unsure whether or not people would be giving out candy. But to our surprise, many people were ready for any trick or treater that came to their door. After a while my dad was carrying me through the snow and up to the houses, as I refused to give up! People were dumping whole bowls of candy into my bag. We had to ask someone if they had another bag because mine was full! The snowbanks were so high, he said that he could barely see the top of my head! By the time we got back home, we were soaking wet, and I had TONS of candy! I remember a few days later my dad digging the cars out of our driveway. It took him 12 hours! He took all the snow from the driveway and made me a sledding hill in our yard.Tonight, 25 years later, I will be taking my kindergartner trick or treating. However, it won't be nearly as snowy as it was that night! Krista Klobuchar lives in Duluth. ---
Accurate prediction I was living in Cambridge and Thursday (Oct. 31) was my day off. So I was shrink-wrapping my windows. As I worked, I saw a lot of squirrels running to and fro carrying acorns. I thought, "They know something that we don't." I was right! Carolyn Caufman --- Community experience During the great blizzard of Halloween 1991 we discovered that KDAL-AM radio was on the air, and broadcasting local conditions and passing on information from the emergency services radio transmissions they were monitoring. They also put out calls for assistance, as when medical staff was needed at the hospitals; they had some coordination with local snowmobilers to bring staff in. Seems like there might've been the transport of a couple of women in labor or near term, too, but after all these years that circumstance might be urban legend! These broadcasts were thrilling and touching to hear over the airwaves! It was just wonderful to feel so much in touch with how others were dealing with this dramatic circumstance. People from various areas were calling in to inform as to what was happening in their neighborhoods. It ended up being a lovely community experience of us all coming together to help one another. Judith Olson --- MORE BLIZZARD MEMORIES 1991 blizzard stories and video in the News Tribune Attic Share your story If you want to add your storm story, email it weather@duluthnews.com.More stories from News Tribune readers about the 1991 Halloween Blizzard that dropped more than 3 feet of snow on parts of the Northland; find the first batch here:Extra day of vacationMyself, my mother Ruth Karki, and my girlfriend Gerry Aho flew out to Elko, Nev., on a gambling junket to celebrate my birthday. All went well until it was the day to fly home and it was announced that we were to stay an extra day/night at the casino, as no flights were able to land in Duluth.Well, darn the luck!We didn’t mind, as they paid for another night’s stay. Then it was my birthday, and somehow secretly Gerry had arranged for the casino hotel to have room service deliver me a birthday cake and champagne (on the house!) to our room. What more could we ask for??The next day they said the Duluth airport was “open” and we could fly back. All went well until we got near Duluth and then the flight got very choppy and scary. One of our fellow passengers started reciting the Lord’s Prayer out loud as we were doing our approach. We think it was meant to be “funny,” but at the time, it was NOT!We did land safely. We found our car covered and surrounded by snow in the parking lot. Somehow we got it cleared away and checked under the hood. It was packed solid with snow!! So I called my husband for him to come and pick us up, and all he said was “FORGET IT!"So needless to say, we were three ladies on our own. We somehow managed to get the car into the airport’s underground, heated garage, where it defrosted for several hours. Then we headed out to Cromwell. It took us several hours. The roads were like "cow paths" and lumpy and bumpy, but we finally arrived safely at home!It will be a birthday celebration we’ll never forget!Kathy Olson lives in Cromwell.---Trick-or-treating windfallMy mom, my stepdad and I lived on West Third Street in the Observation Hill area in 1991. I was in kindergarten, and like any kid that age was dying to go trick or treating Halloween night. My mom worked the midnight shift at the prison camp and my stepdad took me trick or treating. When we left the house, a good portion of the snow had already fallen. My dad was unsure whether or not people would be giving out candy. But to our surprise, many people were ready for any trick or treater that came to their door. After a while my dad was carrying me through the snow and up to the houses, as I refused to give up! People were dumping whole bowls of candy into my bag. We had to ask someone if they had another bag because mine was full! The snowbanks were so high, he said that he could barely see the top of my head! By the time we got back home, we were soaking wet, and I had TONS of candy! I remember a few days later my dad digging the cars out of our driveway. It took him 12 hours! He took all the snow from the driveway and made me a sledding hill in our yard.Tonight, 25 years later, I will be taking my kindergartner trick or treating. However, it won't be nearly as snowy as it was that night!Krista Klobuchar lives in Duluth.---
Accurate predictionI was living in Cambridge and Thursday (Oct. 31) was my day off. So I was shrink-wrapping my windows. As I worked, I saw a lot of squirrels running to and fro carrying acorns. I thought, "They know something that we don't." I was right!Carolyn Caufman---Community experienceDuring the great blizzard of Halloween 1991 we discovered that KDAL-AM radio was on the air, and broadcasting local conditions and passing on information from the emergency services radio transmissions they were monitoring. They also put out calls for assistance, as when medical staff was needed at the hospitals; they had some coordination with local snowmobilers to bring staff in. Seems like there might've been the transport of a couple of women in labor or near term, too, but after all these years that circumstance might be urban legend!These broadcasts were thrilling and touching to hear over the airwaves! It was just wonderful to feel so much in touch with how others were dealing with this dramatic circumstance. People from various areas were calling in to inform as to what was happening in their neighborhoods. It ended up being a lovely community experience of us all coming together to help one another.Judith Olson---MORE BLIZZARD MEMORIES1991 blizzard stories and video in the News Tribune AtticShare your storyIf you want to add your storm story, email it weather@duluthnews.com.