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By Jodie Hagan, MD on Friday, December 6, 2002 - 08:55 am:

The headlines on the East Coast are talking non stop about the Noreaster that is blowing through. Here are some pictures of the part that is passing through the DC area. 9 WHOLE INCHES are expected by the end of today. Nothing like those good old blizzards in Traprock eh? Last year on this date we had temps in the 70's. But I like this better, it reminds me of the good 'ol UP.

Love the website and check it faithfully!

Jodie Hagan (formerly Wenberg) in Montgomery County MD

That's right - want to make Yoopers feel right at home. My brother just moved to Delaware - hope he remembered his shovel and the infamous Yooper shoveling technique! First time for single digit temps this a.m. in balmy Milw. The air is oh so fresh!

Traprock Rules!!

What is the "infamous Yooper shoveling technique"?

when i moved to idaho, i had to use my snow scoop on one of the few occasions when there was enough snow, and when i was done, i was still standing outside with it and a couple walking by said " boy, that's a neat child's sled you got there, look honey, you push it, not pull it". i just kinda knowledged their comment and walked back into the house chuckling.

We got a good 8" of the fluffy white at my place. Had me missing my Silver Bear last night when I was shovelling ;) I'm about 30 mile east of Pittsburgh. It was a nice change for the area and exactly what this displaced Yooper needed. The last few winters have been nearly non-existant around this part of the country but, judging by the amount of fat on the deer, this year may be a good one.

Charlie -- For those who have never seen one, how a picture of a Yooper Scooper?

Here's a link to Silver Bear Manufacturing...
I think they make the BEST scoop available...
http://www.uppermichigan.com/silverbear/

Click on CONTEST... It's one of this month's prizes! A Yooper Scooper, eh?

IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS

BUT NOT HERE

It may not be a child's sled, but we sure had fun playing on our scoop as kids. My sister and I would sit on the snowbank when an older brother was shoveling and get scooped up with the snow, then get tossed down the hill in the back yard where the snow goes. Great fun!! Too bad the house we live in now doesn't have a hill to do that for my kids.

To Alex Tiensivu. Do you have a cousin Dallas North of the Detroit area?

I SURE DO! I'll write you off line.

Alex

I have used my snow scoop on occasion here in Indiana and people are always facinated by it!
"What a great idea!!" the locals say...I refer them to silver bear for their very own.

Yooper shoveling technique - probably more aptly referred to as snow management: as you shovel or scoop, you move the snow as far away from the sidewalk or driveway you are clearing 'cuz you know there will be more coming and it gets really hard to throw shovels full over your shoulders when the banks are already pretty high in January - then you start panking them down a bit after each "powder" fall. Just have to remember never to throw into the wind unless you're really out for exercise.

Greta of Milwaukee: Did you ever try to explain to anyone what the word panking means? Only found in a Yooper dictionary, I guess.

Panking means tamping.

Please someone tell me where the global warming has gone off to I miss the mild winters we've been having these last few years.

Greta of Milwaukee: Joe Soucheray who has a show out of the twin cities called Garage logic calls it "space management"

Hey Alex - I know Dallas! He did a lot of work for a broadcast company in Lansing that I worked for!

one nice thing about them yooper snow scoopers--my husband didn't not have to give up clearing the drive. He uses that there scoop and easily moves it to where he wants it. We've given many for gifts.

Hi All; I have had a snow scoop for about 25 years here in Clio, Mi. A lot better than shoveling any day. Now at 71 I have graduated to a snow blower.

I am glad to say that the big storm that just went thru the country missed us by just a few miles here in Missouri. It all went thru south of us. But enjoy seeing the pictures of it and the stories of others useing their Snow Scoops.
Even tho I was born and raised in the U.P. That is one thing that I do not miss. Like to see it just in pictures.

David S. The hills are turning green and that is a sure sign Christmas is near!

My husband is originally from Detroit and went to Tech (about a zillion years ago). When we were living in Juneau, Alaska and moved from a condo into a house with a killer driveway, we went shopping for a "Yoopy Scoop". Even when we supplied drawings, nobody in Juneau had ever heard of them and couldn't even understand the concept! We ended up ordering one from a hardware store in Hancock. People used to stop and stare when we were clearing our driveway.

Now that we've retired to the UP, we use a scoop to clear pathways all around the house - and a truck-mounted plow to clear our looong country driveway.

I can't believe how many people know my family! This site has put me in touch with the world! PASTY CENTRAL RULES!!!!!!!!!

I just found ANOTHER relation because of this site. One I didn't even know I had! This si too much!

I love the pictures and the comments. In Nashville we had ice for a couple days and a light flury in some areas. Tomorrow it ia suppose to be in the 50s. I miss the snow and crisp cold when I'm Christmas shopping.
All the pics help with my yearning to come back home for a while.

When I moved from Dollar Bay to Southwestern Wisconsin, I was told they don't get much snow and wouldn't need my Yooper Scooper. I gave it away. Last year in Dec we got 32inches of snow down here (a record). When I went to Houghton for Christmas first thing I did (after a trip to the Dog House) was buy a scoop. It didn't snow anymore for the rest of the winter.

Believe it or not, I still have the same snow scoop my dad bought from someone who made them in Fulton Location (by Mohawk) way back in the late 40's or early 50's. It has made it's way from Laurium to Ironwood to Houghton (MTU) to Kingsford. A few repairs have been done but it still works good. When I see some of the pathetic efforts of folks around here when they have to shovel the little snow we get, I chuckle.

When I was in the Lake Linden and Dollar Bay High Schools, we built snow scoops in shop class. Doesn't anyone do that anymore? My sister bought the Silver Bears from the Coast to Coast (I think) in Hancock. Even a little one for the grandson. They work nice for going up on the roof with.

Oooh! What I wouldn't do to be up there with all that glorious snow. You lucky people!

Hey Jodie,
I'm south of you at Ft. Belvoir, VA.
We had a whopping 6" of snow and school was cancelled for 2 days! Pretty funny when you think of the UP weather.
Also, received my pastycam calander today and it's awesome! Order one if you haven't, well worth it!

Judy in Houghton... did you happen to travel to the Copper Country from Alaska by motorhome? Just trying to figure out if you are the wonderful neighbor that I met while I was there this summer.

We have a Yooper Scooper. People always stop us to ask what it is that we are using. When I was younger, I thought it was just a sled with a handle to push us around in. I didn't know until I grew up that it was actually a shovel. Now whenever I use it (when we get any snow, not ice, down here...) I think of the fun times my brothers and I had "shoveling" the driveway.

My son, who is a senior in high school is working at Silver Bear making snow scoops. They sure are busy so far, with all the snow we are having. Maybe all the people affected by the big blizzard occurring across the country should check out the website on pasty.com for a Silver Bear snow scoop. They ship all over the country. My son just made one yesterday for grandma for Christmas. It is a small one of course!

The Bastian's at Silver Bear have been wonderful supporters of Pasty Central and Still Waters over the years. We are glad to have them as sponsors, and to use their unique scoops. By the way, their website says the business is for sale, which might be the ticket back to the Keweenaw for some enterprising former Yooper. Check it out at the Silver Bear website.

Why is your husband taking pictures of you clearing that driveway? :)

Hi Jodie..thanks for sharing the pictures from "out East"...I'm a Yooper (from Bessemer) now in Falls Church, VA...where we got about the same amount of snow. I also live in a 'complex' similar to yours...so the scene was familiar...but we made it through the storm. All our friends out here ( who know we are UP-ers) said "Now, you must feel at home."
A story about the 'scoopers' My Dad had a hardware store in Bessemer, and sold locally made scoops during the winter. An obvious out-of-towner came in and looked it over, then asked..."How do they hook up the horse to this?"

Nothing starts your morning like a good woorkout clearing away what Mother Nature (and the plow) left for you over night. Coming inside to a hot cup of coffee and letting the icicles thaw from your beard. We have it sooooo easy in California!!

I want you folks to know Escanaba has just a dusting of snow so far this year. There is mostly green grass in my yard. I drove to Marquette yesterday and could not beleve the difference! Why don't you-all come south for a spell? I lived in Lake Linden for many years and still love it but do not miss the snow...the natives tell me this is the UP's bananna belt.... Come on down...ML

Jay-Regarding hitching a horse to the snow scoop. Prior to tractors and bulldozers, there was a horse drawn dirt scoop which looked very much like the snow scoop only made of heavier steel. A horse or team was hooked to the front of the scoop and dragged it across the dirt to fill it. There were two handles on the back with which the driver could control the depth the blade dug into the soil. The horses then pulled the loaded where the dirt was needed. The driver tilted the back of the scoop up,causing the blade to dig into the ground,tipping the scoop over and dumping the dirt. A very slow process compared to today's methods of moving dirt.

From a previous shoebox memory:

Now, THAT's a panker!

PSmith SC Hey, Ive got one of those, if it wasn't buried under snow I would send you a photo. The handles are gone now but it sure was a handy rig way back when.We used a model A joker to pull it!!

Since I cannot post on today's picture, I am putting a note here to commemorate this date 61 years ago today. We have a few Pearl Harbor survivors in our neighborhood, and sadly, fewer each year. It's especially good to remember these days it seems.

Hi Callee,

It's not actually me shoveling, this is a neighbor. Big 'Ol Frey and I were busy panking snow down all over the neighborhood (with his big old paws and my little boots, and then my rear end when he ran too fast). :) Too bad I don't have a scoop here, we're still panking down the driveway!
Jodie

About those Yooper Scoopers. When I was younger (I'm 15 now), my dad used to let me sit in the scoop and ride around. Lots of times I was shoveled into a bank. Those were the times....

P Smith sc:
What can you tell me about the dirt scoop? Color? Makers? Handles? Anything else?
Really enjoyed all the snow stories. We had lots this winter, too. Lots of fun as we've had mild ones for so long.
PB

I found this site while doing a search for "Yooper Scooper". While I was not a Yooper, I lived in the lower half, I bought one at a Coast to Coast store near Lansing about 30 years ago. I now live in Ohio and with the snow we have had so far, it is still a God send. I need to order a couple of more from Silver Bear for the kids.

PS, this is a neat site.