Ephraim residents and visitors will have to wait another year to light the fire to get rid of the Winter Witch.

The Ephraim Business Council announced on Wednesday it would not be hosting the Fyr Bal Festival for the second year in a row due to pandemic concerns. The annual event welcomes spring with the Norwegian tradition of a large bonfire in addition to music, fireworks, dancers, and the crowning of the Chieftain. Ephraim Tourism Administrator Lane Methner says the cancellation is being done out of concern for the community and its visitors.

Methner is hopeful it will be able to hold other events later in the year and that the Fyr Bal Festival again on June 18th, 2022. It is the second major festival to already be canceled this year due to the pandemic, joining Jacksonport’s Maifest.

Photo courtesy of the Ephraim Business Council from a past year's event