When the call came in to cover a Dupont Circle snowball fight, I didn’t blink.

I wanted to cover it because I remembered another great D.C. snowball fight.

It was 2010. During what would eventually be known as Snowmageddon. Two feet of snow had shut down everything. Cabin fever had set in. Folks were itching to do something. Anything.

The news spread quickly on Twitter and Facebook: there was a massive snowball fight planned in Dupont Circle.

The scene was mayhem. Two thousand people (!) showed up for a flash-mob snowball fight.

A bullhorn blasted, and everyone started pelting each other. No one was safe. ABC7’s Mike Carter-Conneen even took snowball shots during his live hit.

So, obviously, when there was a chance for this to happen again? Count me in.

I brought my 2-year-old, Aidan, along—partly out of necessity (daycare closed!) and partly to show him what a real snowball fight could be.

When we got there, Dupont Circle was largely deserted—but a lone man stood on the steps of the fountain.

His name was Sage Raindancer. He’d also come for the snowball fight.

“There’s definitely more snow than people out here,” he said, disappointed.

Raindancer had been to some of the big local snowball fights over the years. The Dupont 2016 fight. The National Mall melee of 2014.

He then told me the terrible truth. The organizers had updated their Facebook post to cancel the snowball fight. Not enough snow in the forecast.

But—there was enough snow for at least a couple snowballs.

Raindancer knelt down and started packing the snow together. He handed the tiny snowballs to Aidan, who, in turn, decided to stomp on them.

The little one loved it. Of course.

(Aidan, if you ever read this, I’m sorry. Snowball fights are real, I promise).

This story originally appeared on WAMU.