Spring is officially upon us … finally … and it’s time to start thinking about putting away the shovels and grabbing some season-appropriate gear.

For one group of outdoors enthusiasts, that means grabbing a paddle and a life jacket and heading onto some flowing water.

And no matter what you see when you look out your kitchen window, there is flowing water to be enjoyed, if you know where to look.

In fact, Maine’s paddling community will gather in Searsmont just a week from now for the St. George River Race, a six-mile whitewater test that serves as the first race on the Maine Canoe & Kayak Racing Organization schedule.

According to Dale Cross, who directs the first two races on the MaCKRO calendar, there’s plenty of open water in his neck of the woods.

“I went with a group of people down [the St. George River] yesterday and it was absolutely beautiful,” Cross said. “It’s a little low from what we’d like to have it, but not by much.”

Cross did say that when he arrived at work at the Waldo County YWCA on Friday, it seemed winter had returned with a vengeance.

“We have a fleet of canoes that we use for our day camp and one of them is on the ground is jumping around like it’s got a live animal in it,” Cross said. “The wind is bouncing it all over the place.”

Cross, who directs both the St. George and the Passagassawakeag River Race, said organizers are trying to boost interest in the two races this year.

“We’re really trying to boost those races up right now, to do some new things and have some really neat giveaways,” Cross said.

Among the added features: Recognition of all paddlers, not just the division winners, T-shirt giveaways and a lunch after each race.

This will be the 29th running of the St. George River Race, while the Passagassawakeag Stream Race marks its 35th year on April 5.

Cross said paddlers may have a superb spring this year.

“I was out snowshoeing last weekend with my dogs, and there is literally two feet of snow in the woods,” he said.

Melting snow, of course, makes its way into streams and rivers.

And that’s good news for paddlers.

“I think it’s going to be a terrific year,” he said. “I think it’s going to be a really long runoff spring. If it warms up, all the races ought to be really, really good.”

The upcoming races on the MaCKRO calendar:

. March 29, St. George River Race, Searsmont, 11 a.m.

. April 5, Passagassawakeag Stream Race, Waldo, 11 a.m.

. April 12, Souadabscook Sprint and Souadabscook Stream Race, Hampden, 8 a.m. and 11 a.m.

. April 13, Marsh Stream Sprint and Marsh Stream Race, Winterport, 9 a.m. and noon.

. April 19, Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race, Kenduskeag, 8 a.m.

Sugarloaf event altered

If you’ve been watching these pages recently, you may have decided to spend a day or two at Sugarloaf/USA to take in the Nature Valley U.S. Alpine Ski Championships.

Unfortunately, weather continues to take its toll on race organizers.

On Friday, slalom races for men and women were postponed due to high winds.

At 11:30 a.m., Jami Badershall, marketing coordinator for Sugarloaf, said there was no lift-serviced skiing on the mountain because of sustained 50 mph winds. The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association cited overnight wind gusts of 90 mph in its press release announcing postponement of the day’s races.

“[None of the lifts] can run,” Badershall said.

The mountain-wide lift closure is quite rare, according to Badershall.

“I can’t really think of many days this year that all of [the lifts] have shut down,” Badershall said.

According to the USSA, the slalom races will be held Saturday, and will be followed by evening opening ceremonies and an autograph party featuring World Cup overall champ Lindsey Vonn.

The remaining race schedule will be determined after Saturday’s slalom runs are completed.

More than 150 athletes are at Sugarloaf, ready to compete in the U.S. championships.

Badershall said although the competitors didn’t race Friday, they did have plans to get some exercise.

“They’re over at the [Antigravity Complex] today,” she said. “I heard they’re going to play some wallyball or something like that.”

The Carrabassett Valley Antigravity Complex and Recreation Center features an indoor skate park, climbing wall, trampolines, track, weight room and gymnasium.

Badershall said the weather was due to improve Saturday, after an iffy start: Temperatures in the low 20s are forecast, with winds up to 45 mph early in the day. The wind is expected to diminish later in the day.

And she said there are ways to get skiers onto the mountain to race even if the wind forces lifts to close.

“If it’s an issue of lifts [as opposed to visibility], they can take the skiers up on the [grooming machines],” Badershall said.

Smith served area anglers

Many of the traveling anglers who stopped by her shop probably didn’t stop long enough to learn her name.

To them, she was – as her obituary told us – simply “The Bait Lady.”

For years, anglers heading out Route 1A from Brewer toward fishing holes like Green Lake, Beech Hill Pond, Branch Lake and Phillips Lake stopped at Nina Smith’s home, which sat just over the railroad tracks in Holden.

On Wednesday, Nina Smith, The Bait Lady, died after a long illness. She was 74.

Smith ran the bait shop with her husband, Blake, and carried on selling bait to eager anglers after his death.

I got to know Nina a bit over the years, and always enjoyed stopping by to buy some smelts, and to chat for a bit before heading out onto my favorite local lakes.

She always had a story to tell, and the walls of her small bait shop were a veritable scrapbook that documented the fishing prowess of her customers, with plenty of pictures of the ones that didn’t get away.

Nina Smith was a true Mainer – a bit crusty at times, but possessing a hearty laugh and twinkle in her eye.

A few years ago, just before she got out of the bait business, she invited me into her home, where she showed me what she did while waiting for fishermen to stop by.

She crafted beautiful braided rugs … and spent the next half-hour showing many of them to me, and asking me how she should go about marketing them.

“When you catch the big one, take a picture and bring it to me,” she always said. “I’ll put it on the wall.”

I never got the chance. The only “big one” I ever almost caught escaped at the last moment.

I did deliver the story to her, however, and (as I suspected) she laughed heartily at my expense.

I laughed right along with her.

Just as many other anglers had before me, I’m sure.

jholyoke@bangordailynews.net

990-8214