Emma Teal, 10, of West Chester, works on a snow family, complete with American flag and fireplace. (Brandi Stafford photo) | ZOOM |

        Tristaters welcomed the season's first significant snowfall Sunday by dusting off sleds and building snow sculptures, though icy roads later contributed to a number of accidents, one of them serious. Many schools were delayed or closed today.

        One to four inches had fallen in the Tristate by 11 p.m., with another inch expected overnight, according to the National Weather Service at Wilmington. Snowfall was heaviest in the south and east. Today's forecast is dry.

        Tristate law enforcement agencies reported minor accidents and cars in ditches, and Kenton County emergency management officials issued a snow emergency warning Sunday night urging cau tion because of icy roadways.

        An 18-year-old Milford man was seriously injured about 6:30 p.m. Sunday when he lost control of his car on Ohio 131, near U.S. 50, and struck a telephone pole.

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        Adam Maloney was transported to University Hospital in Cincinnati, where he was in critical condition late Sunday, the Ohio State Highway Patrol said. Slick road conditions played a part in the crash, troopers said.

        Crews kept runways open at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, where only a few minor delays occurred.

Bob Maier tumbles off his sled in Covington's Devou Park with Max Maier and Jason Boerger, both 13. (Michael E. Keating photo) | ZOOM |

        More than a dozen school districts — mostly on the far eastern and southern regions of the Tristate — are closed today and others are on a one-hour delay.

        Still, the slushy white stuff Sunday was perfect for molding snowballs and sledding down hills in spots like Covington's Devou Park, where dozens frolicked in snow for the first time this season.

Amelia McMahan, 6, of Lakeside Park, Ky., tries to catch snowflakes on her tongue. (Michael E. Keating photo) | ZOOM |

        Calvin and Cari Covey of Cold Spring brought their two children, Jeremy, 13, and Ken, 4. Mr. Covey used to visit Devou when growing up in Dayton, Ky., and Southgate.

        “This is great,” Mr. Covey said, standing on the snowboard he bought Sunday morning. “My wife is from Florida, and I graduated from high school in Florida. I'm used to riding salt water.”

        But his surfing skills easily transferred to snowboarding as he flawlessly navigated the hill. “You don't have sharks to worry about,” he joked.

        On another hill, Ron Einhaus of Delhi played in the snow with his three children, Ron, 7, Victoria, 5, and Hazel, 3.

        “It's my only day off, so that's what we're doing,” he said. “I grew up in West Covington. We used to come up here all of the time.”

Brent Bieh runs through the snow in Eden Park. (Michael E. Keating photo) | ZOOM |

        The children enjoyed sledding on their orange saucer, throwing snowballs and rolling in the snow. “I think it's great because I can eat it,” young Ron said.

        Some families stayed closer to home, building elaborate snowmen and snow sculptures in their yards.

        On White Horse Court in West Chester, five households joined to build a snow family, decorated with racing, hockey and Cincinnati Reds paraphernalia, along with an American flag. Not content to stop there, they added a snow fireplace, television set, cooler and couch.

        “We started early this morning with the kids, and it's kind of funny because now the adults are into it more than the kids,” Beth Goeglein said Sunday afternoon. ""We can't stop them. It's out of control.”

        Her husband, Tim, had planned to catch up on work at the office, but she and their kids, Kyle, 9, and Trent, 6, talked him out of it.

        “We always tease my husband,” Mrs. Goeglein said. “He had a big light display up for Christmas ... He just took it down. Now everyone is going, "You just couldn't stand it. You have to overdo everything.' ”

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