COLUMBIA, Tenn. (WTVF) — Columbia saw up to six inches of snow on Thursday. Some of it was melting away by Friday, but many downtown businesses stayed closed.
"Oh, I just started 15, 20 minutes ago," said Ralph Terry, shoveling some more ice away from the front door of his downtown Southern Tre Steakhouse.
Ralph's not the sort of boss to just sit in an office in the back.
"I've been known to wash dishes!" he smiled.
When his city gets covered in snow and ice, Ralph's going to be out with a shovel.
"I'm clearin' the way for the customers to come on in," he said, throwing another handful of salt onto the ice. "We were closed yesterday. I was afraid I couldn't safely get my employees in."
By Friday, crews said side roads remained too dangerous to drive on. While traffic picked up on main roads, Columbia Fire and Rescue officials said they continue to get calls of drivers sliding on black ice. Schools and city offices were closed Friday, while ice was being cleared from parking lots of many businesses locked up for another day.
As it started to melt away, Ralph hoped his city might be ready for a hot dinner after some bitter cold days.
"We're countin' on it!" he laughed. "We got cajun seafood. Spicy. That might help warm them up."
