It was a strange sight for Claytonians last week, when the whole town turned white under the first measurable snowfall since 1976.

Big, fat, fluffy flakes started falling on Dec. 7 around 1 a.m. and by dawn a dozen or more “snowpeople” stood guard in the park and on lawns and hillsides all across town.

Kids and adults, some still in pajamas under their ski parkas and wrapped to their noses with scarves and hats, poured into the streets and neighborhoods and shrieked with the cold as snowballs hit their targets.

Snowboards and sleds found their way out of summer storage and onto the slopes of the Oakhurst hills.

The school bus got stuck in the snow on Oakwood Circle and had to be towed. No kids were on board, though.

Clayton police officer Allan Pike was on duty around 3 a.m. “He couldn’t even get to the top of Keller Ridge,” said Sharon McNulty. “There was too much snow!”

Marsh Creek Road was parking lot at the Divide as surprised commuters braked to get a better view of what looked a lot like Tahoe.

Friends, family and associates from “real” snow country snickered as Clayton went nuts for a day.

“It will all be gone tomorrow,” laughed Sheri Laurence. “Just the way I like my snow.”

The National Weather Service does not keep statistics for Clayton, but estimates put the snowfall downtown at about three inches. There was at least twice that on the higher hills around town and at the Divide on Marsh Creek Road.

So, why did it snow in a town where mud is the expected wintertime groundcover? For an explanation of the weather conditions that caused this snowy phenomenon, see Woody Whitlatch’s Weather Words column on page 8.

Share your memories and weather records with Woody and help him compile a “snow history” for Clayton. Send your information to clayton_909@yahoo.com or drop off at the Pioneer office, 6200 H Center Street.

The Pioneer received more than 150 photos of this historic day and we sincerely thank everyone who sent their pictures. We wish we could have printed them all.