© 2025 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Snow Sculptors Prepare Icy Art Ahead Of National Championship

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

In half a dozen states, amateur snow sculptors have been up all night chipping away at huge blocks of snow, making art. It's for the 35th annual Snow Sculpting Competition. The intrepid Connie Kuntz of member station WNIJ in Rockford, Ill., checked it out.

CONNIE KUNTZ, BYLINE: It's bitter cold here in a city park near downtown Rockford. And there is only one day left as 10 teams of sculptors try to transform two ton blocks of snow the size of an industrial refrigerator into art. Among them is teacher Kelly Madison.

KELLY MADISON: It's packed down into the mold a couple of days before. So when it's pressed in there, it's really icy on the outside. But as we cut into it, it'll be a lot softer.

KUNTZ: Jacqui Worden is also braving bone-chilling temperatures like her fellow artists in states like Iowa, Colorado and Alaska, for this competition, she says the colder, the better.

JACQUI WORDEN: I'm just so grateful that this year - that we don't have any rain. And while I'm not looking forward to minus 2 degrees windchill, I'm very happy that it's not going to be above freezing.

KUNTZ: Sculptors here say while the competition is friendly, it's intense. Brian Hierstein says it's a challenge not being allowed any power tools.

BRIAN HIERSTEIN: I like my axe to take off a lot of snow at the beginning. And then I have a ceramics loupe tool that I like for my detailed work towards the end.

KUNTZ: The creations are whimsical. "Hootie And The Blowfish" is a humongous owl hugging a fish. "Book Wyrm" is an enormous coiled-up worm reading a book. The competitors are fueled by coffee, hot cocoa and adrenaline as they work through the night.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: You got this.

KUNTZ: Here in Rockford, 30,000 people drive or walk through every year to cheer on the artists and see the sculptures, like Laura Gibbs-Green.

LAURA GIBBS-GREEN: I come every year to watch them work at night. It's just really fun watching them work and really get to see the finished product.

KUNTZ: The sculptors will work straight through until early tomorrow morning, when judging begins. The winner advances to the U.S. Nationals in Lake Geneva, Wis. For NPR News, I'm Connie Kuntz in Rockford. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

Connie Kuntz

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.