NATCHEZ — The snow will melt today, but the memories will last a lifetime.

Just like a fairytale book set in the great white North, the snow scenes started early in the Miss-Lou.

Snowball fights

“OK, I’m getting cold,” Chase Brooks said from the yard of his Maple Street house in Natchez Friday morning.

“And you are the one wearing the most,” Emily Rascoe said. “You look like a marshmallow!”

Brooks laughed as he dodged Rascoe’s ensuing snowball tosses. She finally caught up and nailed him with one when a neighbor, John Parks Jr., joined in the chase.

“Hey, we need to finish the snowman,” Rascoe said. “We were going to build a whole family of snowmen.”

Snowmen, women and children

Next door, John Parks was laboring away on a snowman that was supposed to be a father-son project.

“It kind of turned into a solo gig, as (John Jr.) ran off to play with the neighbors,” Parks said. “I’m from North Arkansas, so I’ve seen snow like this, but this is the first time for the kids.”

Rascoe’s mom, Brenda, told the children they better enjoy it because it probably won’t be like this for a long time to come.

“We love it,” they exclaimed.

Chris and his son Daniel Dunaway, 16, were more successful with their father-son snowman, which they were constructing in front of the Natchez Fire Station on Martin Luther King Jr. Street.

“We’ve built a little snowman a long time ago,” Chris Dunaway said. “But this is the first big one we’ve ever made.”

Amanda Wingfield and Madison Watts built a snowman of their own on Turtle Lane in Natchez — a Jeremy Shockey snowman, complete with New Orleans Saints jersey and football.

“Shockey is awesome,” 15-year-old Watts said.

Watts added okra on top to represent Shockey’s long blond hair.

“And I’m glad you added the grass on top,” Wingfield said. “He’s not bald up there anymore.”

Snow sliding and playing

Christian Price, 11, and Braxton McKay, 13, hit a hill on Shields Street with a boogie board.

“This is the most snow I’ve ever seen in my life,” McKay said.

“This is pretty awesome,” Price added.

In Duncan Park, Anna Byrne spent her morning hauling her grandchildren around in a red wagon.

“It has been a long time since it snowed like this,” she said. “Their mom was 3 in 1982 last time it got like this.”

Emma McSwain, 7, was making snow angels on Temple Street.

“This is the third time I’ve been out in it today,” she said at 10 a.m. “I’ve changed clothes three times.”