Bright light flooded the bedroom and bath Friday, Feb.24, 2024 without turning on the switch.
It was, and will be for a couple of days, due to the Snow Moon that actually reaches full illumination at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 25.
It appeared kind of small on Friday but that is because the February full moon is also a Micro full moon (as opposed to a Supermoon.
That means its apogee is farthest from Earth. In this case that is about 252,225 miles away.
It is called the Snow Moon because February, typically, though not in 2024 in which the Earth is experiencing climate change events, has more snow than the other months.
In the Chicago area, the first measurable snow fell Feb. 23 and covered the ground due to cold temps, through Feb. 24.
But the snow is disappearing Feb. 25 due to unusually high temps. However, look up and see the “Snow Moon” Sunday night.
Cubs signs are familiar but different at Sloan Park in AZ (JJacobs photo)
Spring Training which opens the baseball season this week, is a chance to relax in southwestern Arizona among western scenery while cheering on your team.
It’s not too late to still fly to the Scottsdale-Phoenix area which is home to 15 Cactus League teams and their 10 stadiums. But you can also start catching their action on TV this week.
As an example, the Chicago Cubs open today, Feb. 23, at their Sloan Park stadium against the Chicago White Sox. They end Spring Training playing the St. Louis Cardinals at Sloan on March 25-26.
By going to Cactus League Map or Official Cactus Website then clicking on each team, you can find out schedules and more information about the stadiums and the area where they play.
Among the info is that the Cubs are in their 10the year there and that Mesa is an interesting place to visit. Sloan has really become Wrigley Field West on a slightly smaller scale.
You’ll recognize the Marquee and street names such as Sheffield Ave. and Clark Street.
Or if you click on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa circle on the Cactus Lague Map in Scottsdale, you learn that the American Indian Community worked with the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Colorado Rockies to construct the Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. It was the first MLB Spring Training facility built on Native American land.
Headquartering here is a chance to explore Old Scottsdale with its art galleries, Native American stores and the fabulous Museum of the West.
However, none of the Cactus League teams are far from each other. So, turn, game week into a vacation.
Yes, weather has been strange so far in 2024 but Spring must be on the horizon because the annual gathering of baseball teams in Florida for Grapefruit League games and in the Phoenix area for Cactus League matches starts this week. Feb. 22.
Hopefully you can still book airline tickets to your team’s spring location.
Why go? If you haven’t tried it before you quickly find out that Spring Training games are casual. You sit closer to the action and often can interact more with players before and after the games. It’s fun.
Getting game tickets: For Cactus League games such as the Cubs, it is easier to get tickets to watch your team play at opponents’ parks. In the Cactus League that is not a problem because the 15 teams are located within 47 miles of each other or less.
Special events: Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays will play each other in the Dominican Republic March 9-10 in Santo Domingo.
Then, March 14-17 the Cactus and Grapefruit Leagues will hold MLB Spring Breakout – 16 exhibition games showcasing their team’s top prospects.
Opening Day of the 2024 regular season is March 28
Fabulous snow sculptures created by championship state teams from Alaska to Wisconsin are entered in the annual National Snow Sculpting Championship as part of Winterfest.
It starts with snow delivered to 15 team sites on Wednesday, Jan. 31, at Riviera Plaza and Flat Iron Park.
Many visitors drive over on Feb. 2 or 3 to watch the sculpting and see the winners on Saturday when work stops and judges rate the sculptures. Visitors can also pick their favorites as People’s Choice. They fill in the time by seeing ice sculptures downtown, shopping and enjoying live entertainment
January 2024’s full moon has traditionally been called the Wolf Moon in Celtic cultures, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac and Time and Date.
It is expected to look full on Jan. 24 but will reach full illumination the next day at 12:54 p.m.EST, Jan. 25 and continue to look full on Jan. 26.
Wolves howling at the moon is used in several stories for different reasons say the Farmer’s almanac. “Howling and other wolf vocalizations are used to define territory, locate pack members, reinforce social bonds, and coordinate hunting.”
The January full moon is also called the Moon After Yule. Some Native American cultures say it is the Severe Moon or Center Moon.
Past winner of Winterfest (Photo courtesy of Lake Geneva Chamber)
Many folks are ready to say goodbye to January’s below freezing temps and heavy snow shoveling. So here are some events to put on the calendar to help.
Wisconsin’s Lake Geneva Winterfest Jen 31-Feb 4
Amazing snow sculptures will be created along Geneva Lake during Lake Geneva, Wi’s US National Snow Sculpting Championship. It is part of the town’s 29th Annual Winterfest that includes several activities.
Although it begins Jan. 31, visitors won’t see the completed sculptures until that first Saturday in February. It takes a while to have the snow delivered to each sculpting team’s worksite and it takes time for them to carve out their masterpieces.
There will be 15 state championship teams competing from all over the US. Look for them sculpting at Riviera Plaza and Flat Iron Park Judges will rate the work at about 1 p.m. Saturday. In past years, visitors also had a chance to vote for their favorites.
Strolling the downtown to shop, see ice sculptures, watch snow sculpting and enjoy live entertainment fills out the days until the winners are announced. Sculptures are still up on Sunday, weather permitting.
Woodstock IL town square filmed in Groundhog Day (JJacobs photo)
Groundhog Day is back in Woodstock, IL (but also in Punxsutawney, PA)
Events surrounding the famed 1993 film start Feb. 1 but are celebrated with a redo of the weather predicting creature in Woodstock, IL on Feb 2. Suppposedly, film director Harold Ramis chose Woodstock for filming because the story-line location in Pennsylvania was far from his North Shore home in Illinois.
To see where weather forecaster Bill Murray and his station co-worker, Andie MacDowell fell in love, go to Woodstock, not Pennsylvania, a tourist destination northwest of Chicago with a picturesque square featured in the movie.
If in town early in the morning Feb. 2, you hear groundhog Woodstock Willie say when spring will come. But stay to tour the film’s sites and see the movie.
Although called Chinese New Year or Lunar New Year, the festival is also celebrated in other countries such as Vietnam and Korea.
Here, in the Chicago area, there are dragon parades and other events in a couple of neighborhoods such as Argyle Feb. 17 and Chinatown Feb. 18, plus lots of red decorations (for good luck) in Asian restaurants. This year is the Year of the Dragon.
Football’s Superbowl Sunday Feb 11, 2024
The event will be at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, but the game doesn’t matter unless you are a fan of one of the teams. But the commercials are usually worth watching. Check top 10 for 2023 on UTube to see what was good last year. Peanuts (the edible kind) and M and Ms were still around.
Headquartered at the Puppet Hub in Chicago’s Fine Arts Building, 433 S. Michigan Ave., Festival events and shows are held at venues across the city. It also includes free neighborhood tours co-sponsored by the festival, Chicago Park District, Navy Pier and neighborhood organizations.
Considered the largest puppetry event in North America, the Fest draws artists from across the globe and features more than 100 activities ranging from performances and symposium to workshops and a Pop-Up Store.
Where to stay.
Chicago has lots of options but there is an official hotel for the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival. It is the Warwick Allerton Hotel, 701 N. Michigan Ave. which has a discounted rate during festival dates. Use the promo code, Puppetfest24. Visit Warwick Allerton or call (312) 440-1500 to reserve. This is where all of the artists stay and many visitors in town for the Chicago Intl Puppet Theater Festival.
For Festival tickets, activities and more information visit Chicago Puppet Fest.
Just as snow threatens to make January a cold, wintery month, you can look forward to warmer weather at the 2024 Discover® Boating Chicago Boat Show.
The show is filling McCormick Place with new fishing boats, motorboats, fishing gear and marine electronics Jan. 10 – 14, 2024.
Tour million-dollar yachts, look for the Discover Boating Beach Club with a paddle sports pool and have fun dreaming about life on the water.
“The showis an annual Midwest boating tradition, attracting thousands of visitors to the Windy City each year to explore the best in boating,” said Darren Envall, Show Manager and NMMA Vice President of Midwest Boat and Sport Shows. “There’s no better place to discover boating, buy your dream boat and plan for your next adventure on the water,” said Envall.
WHERE: McCormick Place, 2301 South Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60616
Hours: Wednesday, January 10 2 p.m. – 8 p.m,Thursday, January 11 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.,Friday, January 12 11 a.m. – 8 p.m., Saturday, January 13 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. andSunday, January 1410 a.m. – 5 p.m.
INFO and Tickets at ChicagoBoatShow.com; $15 for adults; children 12 years old and younger are free (when accompanied by a paid adult admission).
Imagine those greeting cards and pictures with Santa driving his sleigh across a full moon. The full December moon rarely happens during Christmas but this year of 2023, it will appear full on Dec. 24-27 even though its full illumination isn’t until 7:33 p.m. EST on Dec. 26.
Called by many cultures the “Cold” Moon, it is the first full Moon after the winter solstice which is this week, Dec. 21,2023. It’s easy to believe given how frigid the temps were Monday, and now, Tuesday.
But the weather is supposed to warm up in the Midwest to the mid and high 40s later in the week, so you may forget by Thursday how cold the week of the winter solstice really can be.
But after all, it is called the Cold Moon. Other names are the Oak Moon, Long Night Moon and usually, the Moon Before Yule.
You heard that the Geminds, considered the best meteor shower of the year, peak Dec. 14 but that is early in the morning. They are worth staying up for or getting up early because you see about 100 meteors per hour.
The moon is not a factor and the mostly clear skies across the US should help.
But if you miss the time slot you can also watch on a free, livesteam hosted by Slooh Telescope and the Virtual Telescope project in Italy.
The Slooh robotic telescope network is hosting a free livestream of the Geminid meteor showerbeginning at 5:30 p.m. EST(2230 GMT) on Thursday (Dec. 14).
Slooh operates a network of telescopes in Chile and the Canary islands. The organization hosts livestream webcasts.
