Schools close, some Mariposa County businesses stay open for snow day

MARIPOSA COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- As wintertime upwind settled implicit Mariposa County, 1 longtime section concern kept its doors unfastened for anyone who mightiness request it.

Generations of residents person passed done Coast Hardware Store, a family-owned store that remains 1 of the fewer businesses operating during storms.

Manager Heidi Dulcich said staying unfastened matters, adjacent erstwhile ft postulation slows.

"We deliberation it's important that successful this benignant of upwind adjacent if it is truly quiescent we are present erstwhile they truly request us," she said.

The store is filled with decades of memories and continues adding more, particularly connected days erstwhile schoolhouse closures bring successful families with children looking for ways to enactment busy.

One young visitor, 5-year-old Hudson, summed up his time simply: "I don't similar schoolhouse but I bash similar being retired of school."

Hudson and his household were visiting from retired of town, taking vantage of a interruption successful the upwind to get outside.

His father, Chris Savcak, said the snowfall offers kids a accidental to pain disconnected energy.

"It's bully to beryllium capable to get retired successful the snowfall and get their wiggles out, get their vigor retired of their system," helium said.

While families recovered ways to bask the day, Mariposa County schoolhouse buses sat idle successful territory parking lots.

The Mariposa County School District canceled classes retired of caution, citing unsafe roadworthy conditions successful higher elevations.

Superintendent Jeff Aranguena said the county's wide scope of elevations, including campuses wrong Yosemite National Park, makes upwind decisions complex.

"We person a precise geographically divers region truthful we person 8 campuses crossed the full county, immoderate campuses astatine Yosemite National Park, truthful astatine 4,000 ft and each the mode down, we person campuses that are 1,000 ft successful elevation," helium said.

That saltation tin pb to vastly antithetic conditions for families crossed the district.

"So determination whitethorn beryllium immoderate families that don't person snowfall astatine their location and you whitethorn person immoderate families that are wholly snowed successful contiguous truthful we effort to marque the champion determination based connected safety," Aranguena said.

Despite the closures, businesses similar Coast Hardware continued serving the community, offering a lukewarm spot to halt and sometimes, a infinitesimal of amusive amid the storm.

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