Last weekend was the annual Zehnder’s Snowfest in Frankenmuth, Michigan. For thirty-one years, Zehnder’s of Frankenmuth has been the host to snow and ice carvers from far and wide. We weren’t able to be in Frankenmuth for the actual event, but the snow and ice sculptures last for several days, as long as the temperatures remain low.
As luck would have it, temperatures rose to the mid-forties today, so the snow creations were melting rapidly. However, they were still fascinating.
We happened to be in Frankenmuth during the week before Snowfest, and I watched with amazement as crews prepared the blocks of snow in the parking lot of the Bavarian Inn.
Truck loads of snow are brought into the parking lot and dumped. A loader drops snow into the top of the box, then two workers climb in and pack the snow with shovels and their own weight. They continue the process until the block frame is completely full. A large crane lifts the frame away, leaving a perfectly formed square of snow, ready for the professional carvers.
The detail of this sculpture is really incredible. You can see how the ice is beginning to melt, and some pieces have dropped away due to the rising temperature.
How the carvers are able to complete these sculptures in the amount of time allowed is amazing.
It was a beautiful day to see the ice and snow sculptures in Frankenmuth. Michigan is in the path of a huge snowstorm over the next thirty-six hours. I’m pretty sure these creations will be hard to recognize after the storm passes. But, there’s always next year.
A Coffee State of Mind 