When I was younger, my family and I would always try to build a snowman once we had the right amount of snow. The concept doesn't seem too difficult: three large snowballs stacked on one another with a couple added accessories. But it always ended up not turning out like we planned. The snowballs would be oddly shaped, and if we tried to whittle down one of the pieces, a giant chunk of snow would always fall off.

This is why I'm so amazed with the Illinois Snow Sculpting Competition. The participants can do things with snow that don't even seem possible! The annual competition took place last weekend in Sinnissippi Park. I usually drive through and see the finished products every year, but this year I wanted to see the sculptors at work.

snow sculpting 2014 

Even though it was cold and snowy most of the work time, you could tell everyone was having fun. Walking through the park I heard various stereos playing, laughter, and friendly conversations among the competing teams...all while they were creating snow masterpieces. It's amazing how the sculptors can take a giant block of snow and be able to chip away at it to "uncover" their design. I'm sure it takes a lot of meticulous planning...and some frustration along the way.

Teams from all over the state come to Rockford to compete in the Snow Sculpting Competition, so it's lucky that it's right here in our backyard! Since it looks like the cold isn't going away anytime soon, this means the sculptures should stay in tact for a while! Driving through Sinnissippi Park to view them is free, but if you really want the full experience, I encourage you to bundle up and walk through! This way you can really get up close and see the details these teams worked so hard on. Trust me, it's worth the trip to see these amazing pieces!

(And if you can't make it out, check out this video showcasing the competition!)

 

Sinnissippi Park is located at 1401 N 2nd Street in Rockford.