[ad_1]
Last weekend, two wintery competitions boasted a masterclass in Minnesotan snow sculpting and ice carving excellency.
At the Minnesota State Snow Sculpting Competition at Vulcan Snow Park, carvers worked across 52 hours to produce snow sculptures out of eight-foot cubes of snow. Hosted by the St. Paul Vulcans, the competition is judged by degree of difficulty, execution, artistic expression, and creativity. The winner receives a cash prize and the honor of representing Minnesota in the U.S. National Snow Sculpting Competition.
The 2026 winner and artist’s choice carved a hanging bat in a piece titled It’s a Frickin’ Bat. The team, “Doing our Best,” was made up of St. Paul natives Carmen Martin, Maddy Dahl, and Erik Krenz. Second place went to The Toad King sculpted “Bubba;” Kelly Thune, Michael Majerus, and Dusty Thune. People’s choice won third place in the competition; Sheldon Moe, Jason Moe, and Greg Mitchell of “Pig’s Eye Pirates” carved a giant banana, titled Banana for Scale.
Over in Rice Park, the Saint Paul Winter Carnival Ice Carving Competition helped kick off the annual festivities. In the multi-block competition, artists carved 10, 300-lb. blocks of ice across 48 hours. Terry Reis, Rob Graham, and AJ Edwards took home the gold with Chaos in Ice. The sculpture Alice in Wonderland, depicting the fairytale moment of Alice meeting the Queen and her court, won second. The multi-block piece was carved by the trio of John Njoes, John Cooper, and John Matis. In a family affair, Paul Hughes, Deneena Hughes, and Brett Hughes, claimed third place with Let there by light, featuring the deep-sea angler fish.
Graham, winning in the multi-block, also walked away with first in the single block professional division. Alongside AJ Edwards, the two sculpted a scenic lighthouse on a cliff overlooking the sea in Light House. Paul and Brett of the Hughes team placed again with their sculpture Whale, a whale atop tentacle-like waves. Third place went to Micah McMullin and Cooper, with Little Shop.
The single block artisan division first place was awarded to John Raak and Brett Dahlberg with Eiffel Tower, a sculpted Eiffel Tower. Second place Peacock was sculpted by Jim Zupfer and Nate Stromberg.
The ice carvings and snow sculptures will remain up until Feb. 1 for Winter Carnival-goers to marvel at the impressive display of artistry and craftsmanship.
[ad_2]
Source link
