Impact 32, a volunteer committee made up of local business owners and community organizers in Bobcaygeon, is bringing back FrostFest for the Family Day Weekend.
The second annual celebration of winter, which encourages families and businesses to create snow sculptures, takes place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, February 18th at the park at Lock 32 beside the swing bridge in Bobcaygeon.
Last year’s inaugural event saw large crowds attending, with participants creating more than 50 snow sculptures. Attendees enjoyed gallons of hot chocolate and hundreds of homemade cookies donated by local businesses and volunteers. Impact 32 volunteers also ran fun games with prizes for every child, and mascot “Bobbie Constellation” circulated among the crowds.
“It’s the perfect way for families to get outside and spend time together,” says Councillor Kathleen Seymour-Fagan, a founding member of Impact 32.
“Building a snow sculpture can be very easy for younger children, or as challenging as the older ones and adults want to make it. Plus it’s totally free, and a good chance to meet and chat with other families.”
Impact 32 will again be offering $100 gift certificates for the best snow sculptures in the categories of “Family/Group” and “Businesses/Community Organization”.
The winners will be determined through on-site ballots and online votes on photographs of the sculptures volunteers will post on the Impact 32 Facebook page. The gift certificates will be redeemable at the Bobcaygeon retailer of your choice.
You can build your snow sculpture any time you like, but volunteers will be taking photos from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday.
If your family or business is interested in creating a snow sculpture for FrostFest, Impact 32 has provided some handy tips:
Get inspired
To inspire your imagination, search online or through books or magazines to get ideas for a sculpture. When you find one, bring a picture of it with you. The picture will help you stay on track, especially if it’s a group project. Remember, fun and easy is best for first-timers.
Dress warmly
Stay warm and dry with a cozy coat, snow pants, and a hat. Bring some spare mittens and gloves. Rubber gloves will help keep your hands dry, and some sculptors might even like to wear knee pads for comfort while carving. Sunscreen on your face is a good idea. As of the date of this story, the weather forecast for Sunday, February 18th is a high of -1°C with a mix of sun and cloud.
Collect your snow
For easier sculpting, shovel the snow you think you might need into a mound. Stir it up a bit to warm the snow and remove excess ice chunks.
Build a strong foundation
Even temporary art must start with a firm foundation. To keep your design from collapsing, use your hands to pack each layer of snow down hard before adding more. Sometimes sculptors pack the snow into a cardboard box and then remove the box and carve away the extra snow.
Carve your masterpiece
Remove enough excess snow to make a rough outline of your basic shape. Begin by carving snow away at the top on the more fragile parts, then work your way towards the bottom. Have fun finding different tools to carve and decorate your masterpiece, like garbage can lids, milk cartons, spatulas, chisels, ice cream scoops, and more.
Water it
Spray small amounts of water on dry snow so it easily clumps together in your hands, then use it to build up parts of your sculpture. You can use wet slush as “glue” to attach additions to your sculpture.
Colour it
If you want to add colour to your snow sculpture, just mix food colouring with water and spray it on the sculpture. It might take several coats but be careful — too much water could make it melt faster.
Glaze it
On really cold days, once your sculpture is done you can lightly spray water all over your masterpiece to glaze it.
