I am not a fan of winter.

I detest the cold, I find snow inconvenient, and at least once per year I slip on the ice and develop some sort of sprain or wicked bruise.

Then why do I live here, you ask? Because this frozen quarter of the calendar makes the rest of the year seem that much better. I do not know what I would do without crisp autumn evenings around a bonfire, surrounded by leaves changing into hues of red and yellow as they prepare to make way for Jack Frost.

Nonetheless, snow always makes its way here, and, like most Midwesterners, the older I get the less magical the snowy season becomes — no matter how much our Disney friends Elsa and Olaf glamourize the occasion.

So in some ways, I’ve always thought of the Hunter Ice Festival as making the best of a bad situation.

In all seriousness, though, how cool is it (pun intended) that our communities have embraced the frigid weather to create events that are unique to our region?

More than 15,000 people will leave the safety of their furnaces and hot coffee, pile on the layers, bundle up and make their way to downtown Niles this weekend to take advantage of outdoor, limited-time-only art that would not be possible without the season so many of whine and gripe about from December to March.

Truthfully, the Hunter Ice Festival is one of my favorite weekends of the year. The artists who create the frozen masterpieces are incredibly talented, and as thousands of people visit Main Street to see the fruits of their labor, downtown business owners get a chance to shine.

As the world of Harry Potter comes to life in ice form this weekend, I encourage you to warm up at any number of downtown businesses serving hot cocoa, coffee, food and libations. Stop by and see us at our office at 217 N. Fourth St. on Saturday for free donuts (while supplies last), and all weekend for free coffee and cocoa.

The folks who plan the Hunter Ice Festival should be commended for the countless hours of hard work they put in year-round to make this event one that draws people from all over the Midwest.

After all, this frozen fun makes the winter that much more bearable.