Winter wonderman
Tumbleweed sculpture is an Albuquerque tradition
Frosty he’s not, but the tumbleweed snowman beside Interstate 40 in Albuquerque has some New Mexico magic all his own. The Albuquerque Metropolitan Arroyo Flood Control Authority unveiled this year’s snowman Tuesday morning.
“We collect the tumbleweeds for a new snowman each year, and we’ve made gradual improvements over the years,” said Nolan Bennett, AMAFCA field engineer. “Some people think it’s endless tumbleweeds, but it’s just three big ones. Last year it was bigger, but I don’t want to fat-shame him.”
Since the tradition started in 1995, AMAFCA has used recycled materials to decorate the towering temporary sculpture.
Its nose is an ax handle painted orange. The eyes are buttons, and the arms and the stand it sits on are scrap metal pieces from AMAFCA projects. The snowman’s adjustable hat is a 55-gallon water drum. Old work gloves decorate the end of his arms — although the crew admits this snowman has two left hands.
One employee’s mother makes a new 12-foot-long scarf every year for the snowman.
The flood control authority uses the snowman as a vehicle to raise awareness about AMAFCA and its mission to protect stormwater quality. The office has 131 water quality facilities in the metro area.
“We encourage people not to litter because trash ends up in the storm drain inlets and in the river,” Bennett said. “We can have a cleaner city and a cleaner river when we concentrate on picking up trash.”
Each year on “Tumbleweed Tuesday” after Thanksgiving, AMAFCA employees load the creation on a small tractor to move it from a storage shed to its rightful place on the side of westbound I-40 near Menaul and University. The snowman jiggles as it rides precariously, the crew supporting the structure with pitchforks.
The snowman has greeted interstate travelers during the holidays for nearly 25 years, sometimes with a nod to current events. After 9/11, the crew placed an American flag in the snowman’s glove. And when the Big I was under construction, employees dressed the snowman in a bright orange vest.
The holiday decoration started with a few small tumbleweeds and a can of white spray paint. Now the giant snowman is supported by a steel pole “skeleton” to keep him from blowing away. After all, he has to last until after New Year’s Day.