A whimsical roadside attraction has appeared down the freeway from us in Cedar Grove…and it all began with a blizzard.
I should note that Cedar Grove originally was settled by Dutch immigrants in the late 1840s and still retains its Dutchness. Until now, the town’s main tourist attractions have been a small replica of a windmill and their annual summer Holland Fest featuring street scrubbing, Klompen Dansing and wooden shoe races.
The new star in town is Mr. Frosty, a colossal snowman towering over 18 feet tall. After this winter’s first major snowstorm, a local resident was helping his kids build a snowman in their front yard. A neighbor chided him to build a bigger one, the dad took up the challenge and enlisted two friends to help him.
The team began by making a gigantic base for their creation. Rebar was used for stability. A second ball was added and the team sprayed the snow so “it’s solid as a rock.”
Fortuitously, one of the guys owns a building company so he was able to bring in a lift to raise Mr. Frosty’s massive head.
The Village of Cedar Grove got into the act by donating the perfect snowman nose, a giant orange traffic cone. A large garbage can serves as the snowman’s hat and branches are his arms.
Mr. Frosty’s builders have enlisted their super-sized snowman to raise funds for Children’s Wisconsin hospital. For a ten dollar donation, donors can guess when the last of Mr. Frosty melts into oblivion. The entry states, “The snowman will be checked every day at 6:00 p.m. When the snowman is completely melted at that 6:00 p.m. time, that date will be the winning day.” Sponsors have donated generous cash prizes for the winning entries.
I’m betting that Mr. Frosty will be around until the crocuses poke their heads up in spring.
Wow-a!