The 30-foot snowman is back in Minocqua
In a place where snow piles can linger into June, you might as well make the most of it.
The Northwoods town of Minocqua does just that with Snowmy Kromer, a 30-foot-tall snowman built in front of the Minocqua Area Chamber of Commerce building on Highway 51 just south of town.
“Some people get startled by this 30foot snowman standing on the side of the road,” said Krystal Westfahl, the chamber’s executive director. “He’s a centerpiece on Highway 51 right when you get into town, right when the traffic slows.”
The giant snowman gets his name from his distinctive red cap, a size 96 Stormy Kromer specially made by Stormy Kromer Mercantile based in Ironwood, Mich., about 70 miles north of Minocqua. The company has been making its brimmed wool winter hats since 1903 when it was started in Kaukauna.
Snowmy’s cap and punny name dates to 2008, but the tradition of building a giant snowman in Minocqua goes back to at least the ‘60s. Westfahl said they have a photo from then of the big guy in front of the old tourist information center, but they’re not sure if he was built before that time. Since then he’s come back to life intermittently, depending on snow conditions, and at different places around town.
The chamber last played host to him in 2015, when he garnered attention from across the world. This year, he’s already creating buzz around the country.
“We’ve gotten attention more or less across the nation – Washington to New York,” Westfahl said.
Last year, there wasn’t enough of the right kind of snow — free of salt, dirt and other debris — to build Snowmy.
“It’s kind of like the ice caves,” Westfahl said. “It’s really weather-dependent.”
This year’s snow was just right to begin building Snowmy on Feb. 13.
Westfahl said a local company, Schrom Excavating, helps with the heavy lifting and moving of the snow, while the chamber and volunteers do the rest of the work manually — patting and stomping Snowmy’s three tiers into shape.
“Of course we sing, ‘Do you want to build a snowman?’” while they build, Westfahl said.
A local snowmobile club used to lead the charge of volunteers, but this year the club passed the responsibility to younger generations, including a young professionals group in Minocqua.
By Feb. 15, Snowmy’s tiers — measuring 24 feet, 16 feet and 8 feet across — were finished. The Fire Department doused him with 25,000 gallons of water to help keep the snow in place. On his north-facing side, his black eyes and smile, orange traffic cone nose, yellow pipe and blue buttons, made from painted scrap wood and cardboard, stood ready for photos.
While it’s tempting to climb the big snowman, a sign in front of Snowmy kindly asks visitors to stay off so he can stay intact as long as the weather allows.
In 2015 that was until June, when the last of the snow melted. Westfahl said leaving him up that long destroyed the lawn in front of the chamber building, so this year they’ll probably knock him down in April.
Until then, he’ll stand as a big winter welcome to snowmobilers, skiers, other winter tourists and local residents.
“He’s a big hit,” Westfahl said. “He just brings a smile to your face.”