They should've stayed home, but we're glad they didn't

Don Morgan, a letter carrier for 36 years, was delivering the mail along Hudson Road on Saturday. He said the icy weather is 'nothing to me.' (Alan DeVorsey/Staff) More photos of workers braving the storm e-mail this story print this story Related Online extra • More pictures of workers braving the weather

These unsung heroes of winter weather had to climb on top of a fire-ravaged Duke Power maintenance building to dismantle the roof.

"This is what we train for, baby," Greenville firefighter Marco Richardson said as the door to a heated tent flew open.

Workers across the Upstate braved the snow and ice to make sure the rest of us could stay safe, and even comfortable, as the first winter storm of the year gripped the Southeast.

But not everyone had a job as dangerous as the firefighters.

Pamela Sutton crushed ice for a virgin pina colada as the lunch crowd filled Cantinflas, a restaurant in downtown Greenville. It may have looked like Anchorage outside, but it felt like Acapulco inside.

A fast Latin beat played as customers slurped soup and drank margaritas.

"It warms them up on the inside," said Sutton, the restaurant's manager.

Firefighters cleaning up after the Duke Power blaze took breaks in a heated yellow tent stocked with coffee and doughnuts.

Firefighter Brian Austin said he had just finished putting chains on a fire engine when he found out he was going to have to put them to use. He steered the 28-foot rig with a 500-gallon tank around drivers apparently too confused to pull over.

"You just can't go fast enough," he said.

Firefighters had to work through the snow because fire doesn't wait until the weather clears. Others showed for the paycheck or because they lived close to work.

Jon Aylestock, a cook at Barley's Taproom & Pizzeria, had another motivation.

"Free beer," he said.

Many businesses closed as the roads became more treacherous. But what was dangerous to some was an opportunity for others.

Between orders, the cooks at Barley's used old pans to slide across the ice. Zack Trotter, who drove just under three miles to work, said he didn't expect to drive home.

"I'll find another way or stay downtown," said Trotter, a cook. "I'll work in the morning again."

Dexter Cason drove gospel singer Donnie McClurkin and his entourage from the Poinsett Hotel to Greenville-Spartanburg Airport. He expected to make four trips at two hours apiece.

"If it weren't for me, they wouldn't get there," said Cason, who was volunteering for Simpsonville's Bethlehem Baptist Church.

Tom Bugg spread ice-fighting pellets across the sidewalk at the Peace Center for the Performing Arts. Johnny Mathis was in town, and, as of noon, the sold-out show was going on.

Bugg, the vice president for operations, said he had been trying to keep the theater's entrance clear all day.

"This is an exercise in futility," he said, as the sleet fell on top of the pellets.

Ryan McAlister helped set up the stage for the concert. He went to Barley's for a jerk chicken wrap at lunch and had a message for the cooks and servers who made it possible.

"Thank you," he said. "You should've stayed home, but I'm glad you didn't." Paul Alongi can be reached at 298-4746.