TEN COMMANDMENTS OF SNOW SCULPTURING
By Mary Jane Williams, Statesman Correspondent
It's that season again in McCall, when perfectly sane and usually normal people have been tearing around town looking for "good snow" and moving entire snow banks from one place to another .
Before the reader jumps to the conclusion that McCallites have popped their corks, we should mention that this is nothing more than the annual furor leading up to Winter Carnival weekend. Consequently, almost everyone in town has been busy sculpting snow for the ice sculpture contest.
Here, then, are 10 commandments for the budding snow sculptor.
- Thou and thy spouse (because he's never lucky enough to escape) shalt dress in warm, water-proof clothing. Especially consider thy hands and thy feet, as they freeze before the rest of thy body.
- Thou and thy group (if they ever reach a decision) shalt have a threedimensional mode', or at least a sketch of the proposed sculpture. This way, thou canst look at it, argue over it, and each can still go his own way.
- Thou shalt make a large platform of clean snow upon which to build thy snow sculpture. Be not downhearted if this necessitates moving small mountains -it has been done before, and will be again. Probably by you.
- Thou shalt have at thy disposal many, yea many, slushmakers, slush carriers, and slush experts plus an adequate water supply to make "good slush." The experts are necessary to judge the quality of the slush-the makers and carriers are there to become very wet, cold, and to mold thy slush into a prize-winning entry.
- Thou shalt pile the slush, maintaining the. proportions of the model. The fruits of the labors may resemble mainly a great slush mound, but sometimes it turns out all right.
- Thou shalt sculpt only with approved tools, such as trowels, spatulas, knives, saws and paddles.
- Thou shalt complete fine detail work (sometimes called frosting, sometimes icing) such as hair on a beast, nostrils on a man, or buttons on a coat.
- Thou shalt spray thy sculpture each night before the Winter Carnival with a fine mist from the garden hose, hopefully creating a beautiful ice glaze. This also can be done with a sopping wet cloth, with which thou shalt gently lave the entire statue. Each daybreak, thou also shalt diligently brush away snow which may have fallen on the statue during the night, lest this cause deterioration.
- Thou shalt go home and pray for perfect weather, that thy sculpture melteth not before judging.
- Lastly, thou shalt accept the judges' decision with becoming modesty if thou winnest-and with stiff upper lip (frozen?) if triumph belongeth to thy neighbor.
Rules, Instructions, and Prizes
2007 Local Snow Sculpture Contest
Theme “Wild Wild West”
Rules
- Sculpture must be completely ice or snow clad.
- Supporting Structure (Armature) - Lathe, Wire, Rebar and PVC pipe only. NO plywood, sheet lumber, or cardboard.
Judging
Judging is based on:
- Visual Impact 10 points
- Artistic Merit 10 points
- Originality 10 points
- Detail 10 points
- Difficulty 10 points
- Theme Presentation 10 points
TOTAL POSSIBLE 60 points
Instructions
-
ORDERING SNOW - Please call the city, Dept of Public Works (634-5580) between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., and they will deliver snow to your construction site on an "unscheduled" basis. This means snow delivery is not their top priority.
—Please order your snow 24-48 hours before it is needed and the city will make every effort to meet your request, BUT NO GUARANTEES!
—Maximum of 3 loads per delivery.
—They will not fill frames, dump on sidewalk or drive upon the sidewalk.
—They will dump snow next to sculpture for your use. Please make sure to mark the delivery location well.
—Dept of Public Works will do their best to provide clean snow but not guaranteed.
—Dept of Public Works will not take snow back if you decide its too much.
- JUDGING - Judging begins at 8:00 a.m. Friday 25th!! The judges will not wait until you complete your sculpture and the sculptures are randomly judged, not in any particular order.
- ANNOUNCEMENT OF CONTEST WINNERS - Winners of the contest will be announced at Opening Ceremonies in downtown McCall, Friday January 25th beginning at 7:00 p.m. PLEASE PLAN TO HAVE YOUR ENTIRE TEAM ATTEND. ALL WINNING TEAMS WILL BE PUBLICLY RECOGNIZED.
Prizes:
To be announced
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CALL INFUZE MARKETING AT 208.755.6119
