Even with extreme cold in the weekend forecast, organizers of the University of Okoboji Winter Games still predict a big crowd.
Morgan Strauss of the Iowa Great Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce said 40,000 people are expected to attend the games, which started Thursday and run through Sunday.
“Friday is looking pretty intense for that cold weather, we just encourage everyone, obviously, to bundle up and only stay out there as long as you need to. We have plenty of indoor events and then Saturday is looking a little bit warmer,” she said.
The temperature at 2 p.m. Friday was 5 below zero, with a forecast wind chill of almost negative 40 for parts of the day. Classes were canceled Friday due to cold weather in the Spirit Lake and other Okoboji-area districts.
This is the 46th annual Okoboji Winter Games. Popular indoor events include the Chili Cookoff and Chocolate Classic.
Strauss says all the outdoor events planned for this weekend, such as Broomball and the Polar Plunge, are in safe areas near the shoreline.
