The first big dumping of the season is happy news for people who make their living from snow. Lynnette McFarren with the Park Rapids Chamber of Commerce told us at the height of the blizzard Friday, “There has been only one person in, and he was here to collect the new 2017 snowmobile maps. (Laughs) So if that says anything, they’re excited for the snow.” After some years with less-than-optimal snowfall, McFarren says winter recreation businesses are “thrilled to death.”