KINGFIELD – With blizzards and ice storms and freezing weather forecast for Colorado – and missing Maine – folks in northern Franklin County are getting antsy for some snow.

Rather than simply wait for Mother Nature to stop ignoring them, some Kingfield and Carrabassett Valley snow-aficionados decided to take matters into their own hands and give the skies a nudge by holding a snow dance next week.

“There’s no snow up here,” said Jim Grant, of Kingfield’s Black Bear Graphics, on Wednesday. Grant, whose business makes money in part by selling T-shirts to winter visitors, said he’s affected by the lack of snow, like many people in the area.

Instead of sinking into a seasonal depression, Grant put his frustration into designing snow-dance graphics, making them into T-shirts and dropping them off at Anni’s Market, downtown.

From there, the idea snowballed, Grant said. No pun intended.

Bill Munzer, who heads the JV Wing Snowmobile Club in Carrabassett Valley, thought it was just the thing to raise people’s spirits. Chip Eames, Anni’s owner, caught the snow dance bug, too, as did Neal Tranten, of Tranten’s Too.

The thought of holding a snow dance comes from a “drunk Japanese snowboarder, who originally came up with the idea,” Grant said.

This one – complete with a potluck supper and a DJ – starts Tuesday night around 6 or 6:30 at the Black Fly Field in Carrabassett Valley.

“We needed something around here to boost spirits,” Grant said. “Last year was such a lousy snow year – and it’s shaping up that way this year. Everybody’s much happier when there’s 6 feet of snow on the ground.”

“I was asked to go bring on the snow,” Tranten said, of why he’s taking part. “Last time we did one it snowed.”