Artists from around the globe are in Stillwater this week for the World Snow Sculpting Championship.
The competition started Wednesday morning and runs through Saturday. Twelve teams from eight countries are chiseling their designs out of 10-foot-tall blocks of snow along the St. Croix River in downtown Stillwater.
The teams arrived with sketches for their sculptures; this year’s event will feature several animals and a couple of abstract designs.
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The Greater Stillwater Chamber of Commerce puts on the event. Communications manager Stacie Jensen said it’s popular with both locals and tourists: the competition drew 50,000 visitors last year. Spectators can watch the snow carving up close or through windows in heated tents.
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Jensen said it’s a great chance to talk to some of the artists.
“Sculptors like to be asked questions, and people like to ask them what they’re doing, what types of tools they use, what inspired their design, things like that — so they love that. They’re usually able to stop and chat with people,” she said
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Sculptors have until Saturday afternoon to bring their designs to life. Jensen said the sculptors got lucky with this week’s cold spell; the frigid temperatures make for great carving conditions.
“It’s exciting to come down and watch the progress,” Jensen said. “Even each day when you come back, it’s amazing how much more they’ve done on their sculptures. Everybody does something a little bit different.”
The closing ceremony and awards are scheduled for 4 p.m. Saturday. Festival events wrap up on Sunday.
