MADISON, Wis. — The wait is finally over.

After a slow start to the season, the Madison area saw a significant amount of snow on Thursday.

Madison resident Nathan Gorman and his son Owen joined others to take advantage of the weather at Elver Park.

“This is the first time that this little guy is getting to sled, and we got some good snow,” Gorman said. “[He’s] getting used to that and maybe enjoying it a little bit, too early to tell.”

The snowfall also means Gorman and many other residents had some shoveling to do. For employees at Dorn Ace Hardware in Madison, that has made what would normally be a slow week a lot busier.

“Usually, this week between the holidays is slower,” said Tom Dorn, President of Dorn Ace Hardware. “But when you have a weather event like this people are out and about and making sure that when the ice comes … that they’re ready.”

Dorn said ice melt was the number one product people were picking up on Thursday. He said it’s important to make sure you’re prepared with other snow removal items sooner rather than later.

“Taking a look at your shovels to see what kind of shape they are and how they survived last winter is a good idea because the selection of that tends to go as the as the winter progresses,” he said.

For some, it might be worth investing in a snowblower.

“A snowblower is going to help you get through that pile at the end of the driveway,” Dorn said. “Or if you have a long driveway or a long sidewalk that just is just really burdensome to try to shovel in the morning or later in the day.”

Gorman said there will be plenty of time for cleanup. He was happy to spend as much time as he could enjoying the weather with his son.

“This has been a fun activity for me when I was little, and so it’s fun for him to experience it and do some sledding,” he said.