All are welcome to join a tailgate party, new this year at the U.P. Snow Softball Tournament, and compete for the "Golden Spatula" award for best menu Saturday, February 13, and Sunday, February 14, at the Shepler's Mackinac Island Ferry parking lot in St. Ignace.

The annual softball tournament and the new tailgate party will begin the U.P. Winter Fest, which runs from February 13 through March 6 and encompasses four major weekend events including the softball tournament, the annual pond hockey tournament February 19-21, the youth pond hockey tournament February 27-28, and the "Ice Chip" golf scramble March 6. These events are held each year in St. Ignace and this year are being promoted together as the U.P. Winter Fest.

Tailgate registration, for which there will be no fee, opens alongside the softball tournament Saturday morning and tailgaters must set up their vehicle or tailgate area and keep it in its designated area both Saturday and Sunday. Tailgaters are encouraged to compete with each other for the best tailgating menu, a prize that will be awarded by event organizers and volunteers.

The Snow Softball Tournament, going into its sixth year in St. Ignace, offers ice to use when sliding from base to base, unpredictable snow drifts to run through, and the challenge of finding a ball under blankets of snow.

Mark Sposito, one of the organizers who started the snow softball competition, said Friday, January 29, that there were plenty of registration spots still open for the tournament. Mr. Sposito said the goal is to have between 16 and 24 teams competing and many more people tailgating and watching the games. So far, he said, registration has reached about half of this goal.

"We have struggled getting it off the ground," Mr. Sposito said. "It's really a nice weekend to get out get some fresh air, play a game. If you saw it one time, it would sell itself."

Teams of between nine and 12 players will compete in the tournament Saturday and Sunday in men's, women's, and coed divisions. At least three games are guaranteed to teams who sign up, which requires a $200 registration fee, and the amount of arc on pitches during the games is unlimited.

Other rules that make the games a bit more challenging, Mr. Sposito said, are a reduced strike and ball count to two and three, and with fouls counting as outs on the last strike.

"The conditions and the rules we've added make it a little bit tougher sport," he said. "People get the chance to be out in the winter weather playing something like this, which you don't usually get the chance to do."

One of the rare experiences players can have in snow softball, he said, was the 10-minute whiteout experienced one year during the tournament.

"They played right through it," Mr. Sposito said. "You could only see as far as first base from home plate. All of a sudden, it was like a blizzard, and then in 10 minutes the sun came out again. It was really cool to see."

Team registration includes first and second place trophies for winners, free winter sportswear, a Kewadin Casino package, lunch on Saturday, and a free taxi from St. Ignace bars to hotels.

There will also be a heated concession and warming tent with food for sale. Proceeds from registration fees and food sales will benefit the St. Ignace high school varsity softball team and the St. Ignace Special Events Committee. Teams mustregister in advance by calling the Chamber of Commerce at 643-8717 or Mr. Sposito at 643-7482. Registration will continue up until Saturday, February 13, unless all the open slots are filled sooner.