Snow, heavy at times, fell throughout the day Tuesday across much of Vermont.
While it was far from a mega-storm by the standards of most Vermonters, it certainly made work for some — and play for others.
“You want to keep it clear so they don’t slip and fall,” Rowdie Parker observed as he shoveled an area around the B.O.R. Ice Arena in Barre.
Next door, at the Barre Auditorium, crews were staying extra-vigilant taking care of the parking lot and walkways leading to one of Vermont’s state-run coronavirus vaccine sites operating during the storm.
The work ensured seniors like Carol Day could make it in and out safely to get their all-important shots in the arm.
“You can’t be a wuss, you know!” Day said about receiving the vaccine, which she described as virtually painless. “You get a nice shot and you’re all set — that’s what we’ve been waiting for. Isn’t that what we’ve been waiting for for so long?”
Vermont Human Services Secretary Mike Smith said midday Tuesday that roughly 21 Vermonters had rescheduled their vaccinations, possibly because of worries over traveling in the snow.
Gov. Phil Scott emphasized that, thanks to careful preplanning, none of the vaccine doses for people who had Tuesday appointments would be wasted. Those people had their shots rescheduled for the coming days.
Day said traveling in the snow wasn’t a concern for her, because she had a chauffeur.
“I had my grandson,” Day told NECN and NBC10 Boston. “With his 4-wheel-drive truck he adores driving — so you see he was happy to bring me!”
On I-89 and roadways across the state, plows were staying busy, with public safety officials reissuing the regular reminders to not crowd them and to keep your speeds down driving.
In Essex Junction, Adam McGinnis was cleaning up, too, around the entrance to Rocky’s New York Pizza.
“Just making sure nothing ices over,” McGinnis said as he worked to ensure a clear path to the door at lunchtime for customers. “I pretty much salt and shovel on the hour during storms like this.”
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In Montpelier, 5-year-old Astrid Donaldson had a snow day from kindergarten. She was disappointed.
“Because I like my friends,” Donaldson said. “And I miss them.”
Astrid will have something to tell those friends about when school’s back open: how she spent the day playing in her snow castle.
If you’re thinking of playing at Vermont’s popular ski areas, remember that things are operating differently because of the pandemic and there are new safety guidelines in place.
Smugglers’ Notch Resort tweeted that it suggests you do your research on those travel changes and shifts in normal skiing and riding protocols, so you “know before you go.”
The trade group Ski Vermont provides a guide that can help skiers and riders plan their outings: https://skivermont.com/trip-planning-and-covid-19.
