Schools closed but lessons in gravity, sledding on

Classes were closed Wednesday for Butler County schools so students and their families headed out for instructional fun about gravity, snow and sledding.

It was a gleeful lesson for Will Coleman of West Chester Township who joined dozens of other youngsters and teens sliding down the popular Chill Hill at Voice of America Park.

“You don’t have to do any homework!” said Will.

His sister Rachel agreed saying “you don’t have to do any work and you can go out and play in the snow.”

A slight winter storm dropped about two inches of snow on most of Butler County and the sometimes slick roads were enough to close down classes for area schools with many students dashing to local sledding hills.

A winter weather advisory for the area was cancelled just before noon Wednesday and forecast now call for a chance of snow on Friday.

“Sledding is a great outdoor activity and it’s a family sort of fun,” said Kelly Barkley, spokeswoman for Butler County Metro Parks, which operates 10 county parks of more than 4,000 acres.

The parks feature two main sledding hills, one in Fairfield Township’s Rentschler Forest Park and the other at Voice of America off of Cox Road.

West Chester’s Chill Hill, which is a man-made peak constructed from soil excavated years ago to expand two nearby lakes, is the more popular of the two county parks for sledding “because of the population density” in West Chester, which is Ohio’s most populous township.

The Voice of America site also includes an intermediate hill and a tiny “Bunny Hill,” said Barkley, designed for families with toddlers looking to have a first and safe experience at sledding.

High temperatures Wednesday topped out in the mid 20s and will drop into the mid-teens in the evening.

Thursday: Wind chills will again be in the single digits early in the day. Partly to mostly cloudy skies are expected. Highs will warm into the lower 30s.

Barkley said the largely snow-free winter so far is the norm for our region.

“Ohio in general is very hit and miss when comes to winter snow,” she said.

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