The winter weather may have discouraged some people from attending Great Bend's annual Snowball Drop and winter clearance sales, but the promise of prize winnings and live entertainment brought several people to the Crest Theater. Great Bend Alive partnered with Explore Great Bend to offer the second annual Snowball Drop on Saturday at the Crest to highlight the annual Whine About the Winter Sale.

The Snowball Drop is a promotional event that began with entertainment provided by local dance studios. Students from Aly’s Dance Studio and Be. Dance Studio danced to several songs.

After that, 300 numbered plastic foam snowballs were dropped from the balcony to the people below. Everyone in the audience, including children, could grab up to three balls and turn them in for prizes such as $25 Great Bend Chamber gift certificates, gift packages and certificates good for deals on services and products from participating stores.

After claiming their prizes, participants were encouraged to explore downtown and Great Bend stores. The Whine About the Winter Sale is a longtime January tradition, although the name is fairly new. It’s a way for stores to start clearing out the winter items with big clearance sales.