Snow Sculptures for a Cause

The Bartz Brothers are at it again

By: Sylvia Rani

Bartz Snow Sculptures in New Brighton is back for its eighth year of creating delightful, larger-than-life masterpieces out of snow. Continuing with their theme of sea creatures, this year’s sculpture is a wide-eyed sea snail. Standing over 23 feet tall, “Slinky” was no easy feat. The snail is the combined effort of brothers Austin, Trevor, and Connor Bartz. The siblings spent approximately 600 hours building the sculpture, shoveling snow from neighbors’ yards and nearby parking lots.

Making the snow packable is a process in itself. The brothers heat up their garage to 90 degrees and load the snow into the garage until the snow becomes packable. Then, they haul it out into their yard by sled. They modified their garage door with a small opening to keep heat in during this process.

Admission to view the snail is free, but the brothers encourage donations. This year, they raised almost $30,000 to provide clean water to Vietnam through the organization, One Day’s Wages. One hundred percent of donations will go to providing people with access to clean water, proper sanitation, and quality medical care. Plus, it will provide the community with education and information about clean water and sanitation. The program aims to decrease the occurrence of preventable illness and increase the quality of life for families in the community. The Bartz Brothers’ eight years of building snow sculptures for a cause is an inspiring example of how Minnesotans always seem to find room for joy and generosity, even during a polar vortex.