We got our first snowfall already this year, and it is not even November! This morning Fil woke up to a big surprise! Snow on top of all of his pumpkins on this Halloween Day! In fact, he was so surprised this morning that it reminded him of a story his grandfather told him about the Halloween Blizzard of 1991, when a freak blizzard covered the entire city in white. It was told to him by an old snowplow driver he used to know. It goes a little something like this.
Frank the elephant was not like the other elephants. He loved the cold and the snow, and he dreamed of seeing a real winter wonderland. So one October day decided he was going to move his family to the snowiest place he could think of, Minnesota.
When Frank and his family arrived it was a cold and cloudy day, but they did not mind. They were prepared with heaters and blankets. The city was all a buzz because it was Halloween Day. Frank was supposed to go to work that day, but instead, he stayed home because he didn’t want to miss out on taking his daughter Debbie trick or treating. His wife, Bernice, however, wasn’t so keen on the idea, since it was supposed to snow that evening and this was going to be their first snowy experience. Frank assured her that there was no need to worry, they would be back home before the snow arrived.
Frank and Debbie put on their costumes. Frank was a pirate and Debbie was a ghost. They grabbed a bag and headed out to the nearby neighborhood. They were amazed by the sight of carved pumpkins, fake cobwebs, and scary decorations. They knocked on the doors and said “trick or treat”, receiving candy and compliments from the friendly people.
They were having a blast until they noticed that the sky was getting darker and the wind was getting stronger. They looked up and saw snowflakes falling from the clouds. They had never seen snow before, and they were curious and excited. They decided to keep going, thinking that it would not last long.
They were wrong. The snow kept falling harder and harder, turning into a blizzard. The temperature dropped below zero, and the visibility became poor. Frank and Debbie lost track of time and direction. They wandered away from the neighborhood, unaware of the danger they were in.
They soon found themselves in a deserted street, surrounded by cars buried under snowdrifts. They tried to find their way back, but they could not recognize any landmarks. They felt cold and tired. They looked for a shelter, but they could not fit into any of the buildings. They started to panic.
They heard a loud noise behind them. They turned around and saw a huge snow plow coming towards them. The driver did not see them either, because of the blizzard. Frank tried to move out of the way, but he slipped on the icy road. He fell down and hit his head on the pavement.
He lay there motionless, covered by a thick layer of snow. The driver did not notice him and drove past him. Debbie’s eyes filled with tears. She thought she was going to lose her father.
But she did not give up. She ran after the snow plow, hoping that it would lead her to some help. She followed it for miles until she reached a gas station. She saw a man getting out of the snow plow and ran towards him.
She grabbed his leg and tried to communicate with him. The man was startled and scared by the sight of an elephant in a ghost costume. He did not understand what Debbie wanted from him.
Debbie explained that her father was buried under a pile of snow and she needed help. The plow driver felt sorry for her and decided to help her. The driver got back into his plow and drove back to where Debbie had come from and found Frank under a pile of snow.
The plow driver was able to dig Frank out and the man was shocked to see a pirate under all that snow! Frank was grateful but explained to the man he and his daughter were lost and unprepared for the blizzard. The man, a truly kind-hearted person, told them to get into the snow plow.
The snow plow driver turned up the heater and made sure everyone was warm. He drove them through the drifts and piles of snow to their new home, where Bernice was happy to see their return and welcomed them with warm cocoa. She was so grateful to the snow plow driver she invited him, but he refused as he had to get back out on the roads to keep them clear. The snow had been falling harder and the piles were getting taller. The plow driver was grateful however for the warm drink and took it with him in the elephant mug the elephant family gave him.
The snowplow driver never saw Frank or his daughter Debbie again. We don’t know what happened to them but that is how the Halloween Snowstorm of 1991 began. That snowplow driver though, still plows the roads every story night and carries that elephant mug every time. He knows the story wasn’t just a legend.
