Apsley’s amazing rainbow igloo

Featured at Apsley Winter Carnival, coloured igloo is raising funds for local student literacy

By Bruce Head -
Published
For the second year in a row, Carolyn Amyotte coordinated the building a coloured igloo in Aplsey. The 2015 Rainbow Igloo was featured at the Apsley Winter Carnival on February 21st and Amyotte and three fellow parents will be sleeping overnight in the igloo in March to raise funds for literacy resources for Apsley-area students.
For the second year in a row, Carolyn Amyotte coordinated the building a coloured igloo in Aplsey. The 2015 Rainbow Igloo was featured at the Apsley Winter Carnival on February 21st and Amyotte and three fellow parents will be sleeping overnight in the igloo in March to raise funds for literacy resources for Apsley-area students.

For the second time, Carolyn Amyotte is leading a project to build an igloo out of 1,000 bricks of multi-coloured ice — and then she’s going to sleep in it.

Volunteers have completed construction of this year’s “Rainbow Igloo” for the Apsley & District Lions Club’s Apsley Winter Carnival, being held at the North Kawartha Community Centre on Saturday (February 21, 2015). The lighting ceremony for the completed igloo will be held at 6 p.m. that Saturday.

On Friday, March 6th, Amyotte and fellow parents Ann Johnston, Jen Temple, and Jenny Atmore are going to spend a night sleeping in the igloo. “A Night in the Gloo” will raise around $1,000 (one dollar for almost every brick in the igloo) towards the purchase of literacy program resources to help Apsley-area students improve academically. To donate, visit www.gofundme.com/mc1880. UPDATE (02/22/15): Thanks to an incredible public response, the group has already met its original fundraising goal of $1,000 and has set a new goal of $3,900. This new goal — when combined with $2,000 previously donated by the local Lions Club — would cover the full $5,900 cost for the literacy program.

Amyotte — who is a Councillor for North Kawartha Township, Apsley School Council Chair, and co-owner of Eels Lake Marina near Apsley — did the same thing last year, raising funds for the North Kawartha Food Bank.

The Rainbow Igloo project began in late 2013 when Amyotte saw a photo of a rainbow-coloured ice igloo built in Edmonton by a New Zealand civil engineer who was spending Christmas with his girlfriend’s family.

Apsley resident Carolyn Amyotte organized the creation of Aplsey's first Rainbow Igloo in 2014, pictured here
Apsley resident Carolyn Amyotte organized the creation of Aplsey’s first Rainbow Igloo in 2014, pictured here
Last year's completed igloo. This year's is even bigger (scroll down to see the photos).
Last year’s completed igloo. This year’s is even bigger (scroll down to see the photos).

Inspired, she decided that a rainbow igloo would be a special addition to the annual Apsley Winter Carnival. She did some research to find out how to make one, put out a call for materials and volunteers, and got the project underway.

Building a rainbow igloo isn’t a trivial task.

You have to obtain hundreds of empty two-litre milk or juice cartons, fill them with water mixed with food colouring, leave them outside to freeze, and then peel off the cardboard to reveal the coloured ice bricks. Then you need create a spherical mound of snow and carefully place the bricks around the mound, using melted snow as mortar.

When all the bricks are in place, you dig the mound of snow out from the interior — and then you have a Rainbow Igloo.

Last year's rainbow igloo at night, lit from within
Last year’s rainbow igloo at night, lit from within
Again this year, Amyotte encouraged members of the Apsley community to donate their empty (and clean) two-litre cartons, as well as food colouring. She called for volunteers to help prepare the ice bricks for igloo construction.

The building of this year’s Rainbow Igloo began on January 28th and, thanks to the efforts of the many volunteers, it was completed on Saturday, February 14th. Some facts about the igloo:

  • Almost 1200 two-litre cartons were collected
  • More than 2500 litres of water were used for the bricks
  • Nearly two litres of food colouring was used
  • The igloo is 12 feet it diameter at the base and 6’5″ high in the centre
  • Almost a dump truck load of snow was used to reinforce the inside of the igloo (and then removed)
  • Many volunteers donated hundreds of hours to work on the igloo

Check out these photos of this year’s Rainbow Igloo building project. For more information, check out Eels Lake Marina on Facebook.

Collecting donated two-litre cartons to be used to create the ice bricks
Collecting donated two-litre cartons to be used to create the ice bricks
Preparing the cartons for filling with coloured water
Preparing the cartons for filling with coloured water
Food colouring is used to create different colours for the ice bricks
Food colouring is used to create different colours for the ice bricks
Freezing the ice bricks
Freezing the ice bricks
Removing the coloured ice bricks from their containers
Removing the coloured ice bricks from their containers
Coloured ice bricks ready for use
Coloured ice bricks ready for use
Laying the foundation for the igloo
Laying the foundation for the igloo
The first couple of rows of bricks are laid
The first couple of rows of bricks are laid
A young volunteer peeling a carton away from an ice brick
A young volunteer peeling a carton away from an ice brick
A large mound of snow is used to support the igloo while it's being built
A large mound of snow is used to support the igloo while it’s being built
Close-up of construction
Close-up of construction
The first five rows of bricks are laid
The first five rows of bricks are laid
Close up of construction
Close up of construction
Ten rows are completed. Melted snow is used as the "mortar" between the bricks.
Ten rows are completed. Melted snow is used as the “mortar” between the bricks.
Over half done
Over half done
This year's Rainbow Igloo nearing completion
This year’s Rainbow Igloo nearing completion
A creative ice sculpture by local carver Levi Caya is a new addition to this year's igloo
A creative ice sculpture by local carver Levi Caya is a new addition to this year’s igloo
Adding more snow inside the igloo to reinforce the final rows
Adding more snow inside the igloo to reinforce the final rows
Packing down the snow to preparing for the final rows
Packing down the snow to preparing for the final rows
The Rainbow Igloo is finally completed!
The Rainbow Igloo is finally completed!
The completed igloo with the ice sculpture on top (new for this year)
The completed igloo with the ice sculpture on top (new for this year)
Volunteers digging the snow out of the completed igloo
Volunteers digging the snow out of the completed igloo
Doing some fine detailing work on the entrance
Doing some fine detailing work on the entrance
A new addition this year: a window!
A new addition this year: a window!
Inside the igloo, now emptied of snow
Inside the igloo, now emptied of snow
This year's igloo is a lot bigger inside than last year's
This year’s igloo is a lot bigger inside than last year’s
Big enough that 6'4" Jeff can stand up inside it
Big enough that 6’4″ Jeff can stand up inside it
It's a family-sized igloo!
It’s a family-sized igloo!
Organizer Carolyn Amyotte enjoying a quiet moment in the completed igloo
Organizer Carolyn Amyotte enjoying a quiet moment in the completed igloo
The view from inside the igloo
The view from inside the igloo
Preparing the igloo for the lighting ceremony at the Apsley Winter Carnival on February 21, 2015
Preparing the igloo for the lighting ceremony at the Apsley Winter Carnival on February 21, 2015
Half of the 35 people who were able to fit inside the igloo during the Apsley Winter Carnival
Half of the 35 people who were able to fit inside the igloo during the Apsley Winter Carnival
The Rainbow Igloo after the lighting ceremony at the Apsley Winter Carnival on February 21, 2015
The Rainbow Igloo after the lighting ceremony at the Apsley Winter Carnival on February 21, 2015
Another view of the lit-up 2015 Rainbow Igloo
Another view of the lit-up 2015 Rainbow Igloo
The beautiful colours of the ice bricks glowing at night when the igloo is lit from inside
The beautiful colours of the ice bricks glowing at night when the igloo is lit from inside

All photos courtesy of Carolyn Amyotte

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