Puerto Rico Gets (Artificial) White Christmas

S A N   J U A N, Puerto Rico, Dec. 12 -- This tropical Caribbean island is expecting a white Christmas. In fact, it’s already arrived — on a cargo ship from Canada.

An entrepreneur brought 300 tons of snow from Quebec to San Juanand, beginning Friday, plans to charge families $30 each to buildsnowmen and wage snowball fights in a refrigerated event hall.

“It’s going to be like a dream for these people — to see realsnow!” businessman Luis Guzman said.

I’m Dreaming of … You Know What

Guzman — whose Family Events Inc. promotion company bookscircuses and figure skating shows — is spending $200,000 to importthe snow from Fermont, Quebec.

Residents of Fermont — population 3,500 — say they’re baffled.“I can’t believe somebody would want our snow,” said Mayor Robin Belanger.

But in this former Spanish colony turned U.S. territory, Santa Claus is challenging the traditional Three Kings in popularity. And with Puerto Ricans paying $70 for U.S.-style fir Christmas trees imported from Canada, Guzman thinks people will pay for a bit ofwhite Christmas.

“Everyone hears so much about the whole American winter — theChristmas carols, the snow, Santa Claus coming down the chimney,”he said. “It’s a beautiful tradition, and I think the people herewant to share in it.”

Not Puerto’s First Snow

It’s not the first time snow has come to Puerto Rico — a storeimported a truckload a few years ago as a publicity stunt, and aSan Juan mayor once flew in a few tons for children.

But Guzman’s is by far the biggest and most costly shipment.

In Fermont, workers used snow blowers to fill freezer trucks which hauled the snow 1,100 miles to a port in St. John, New Brunswick, said Shawn Pettipas, a freight manager handling the operation in Canada.

Ships carried the snow about 2,000 miles south to Puerto Rico in refrigerated containers. The first ship set sail last week and arrived today, said Mary Keith, a spokeswoman for Kent Lines Shipping.