MICHIGAN, USA — The Crystal Valley Pour House near Hart and the Muskegon Winter Sports Complex have one very crucial thing in common. They both rely heavily on winter weather to bring people in.
But they haven't been getting it lately.
"We really haven't had a winter, per se," said George Sadler who owns the bar.
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Crystal Valley sits near a piece of land that was recently worked on to connect two snowmobiling trails. The trail system can get sleds from Muskegon to the Mackinac Bridge.
"Snowmobiles are the heart of our business," Sadler said. "We've had over 200 or 250 a night in here."
"You'd be running around for four or five hours straight just to try to clean tables to get the next one in," said Sharon Carr who has managed the restaurant and bar for three years.
This year is different. Dozens of hooks around the Pour House that would normally be used to hang snowmobile helmets are completely empty. There's just not enough snow to get the sleds out.
"Our business is down 60 percent from what we should be," Sadler said. "I don't think we can ever recover from what we've lost."
It's not just the Pour House suffering. Other restaurants, snowmobile dealers, gas stations, and people who rent out cabins along the trail system have all had difficulty this winter.
Most of the Muskegon Winter Sports Complex is open now. But on Friday, Jan. 31, the ice rink was softer than it should be and warmer temperatures could close it by Sunday.
"It's usually the first thing we have to close when things get warm," said manager Bill Bailey.
Both places are hoping February will bring much more snow than January did.
"I wish we could do a snow dance. I really do," Carr said."
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