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For the last seven years, James Westin's ice castles have melted before he could finish them.
That has not a problem this year.
Helped
by a cold and snowy December, the Edina resident finished a
three-level, 22-feet tall ice castle in his backyard recently.
It will be lit and open to the public 7 to 10 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Feb. 7 to 9, at 4501 Garrison Lane.
Westin started construction on the castle Dec. 5 and has spent about
200 hours working on it. Volunteers from the University of Minnesota
chapter of Habitat for Humanity have also put in 300 to 400 hours.
The
castle is made of a combination of snow and ice. Westin uses trashcans,
buckets and sleds to make ice blocks and a snow/ice mixture to make
sturdy columns and arches.
He quickly used up all of the snow in his yard, so he looked to the snow on Lake Nancy.
"I've got a lake in my backyard. We cleared off half of the lake," Westin said.
Westin
estimated that he used 1,200 trashcans' worth of snow on the castle. He
wanted it to be strong enough to allow people to walk up to the third
level.
The castle will be illuminated in the evening when it is open to the public.
There is no charge to get into the castle, donations to Habitat for Humanity will be accepted.
Westin
got involved with Habitat for Humanity when he was in college and is a
past president of the U of M chapter. He said he hopes to raise $10,000
for the organization with his winter palace.
While he has never been through any formal ice or snow sculpting
training, Westin has become a veteran at building ice castles, making
each one more complex than the previous one.
"It's just something I've been doing ever since I was 14," Westin said. "It's something I'm known for."
Making arches is one of the most difficult aspects of constructing an ice castle, Westin said.
For
every foot of arch, he waits a half-hour for it to freeze into place.
He places an ice slab in between two columns, then packs a snow/water
mixture around it to secure the slab in its place. When the slab is
secure he packs snow around it in the shape of an arch.
"It definitely takes experience," Westin said.
For
opening night on Thursday, the Normandale Lutheran Choir will sing
songs on the castle at 7:30. Depending on the weather, Westin said the
castle might be open on future dates.
Comment on this story at our website, www.mnsun.com.
What's Next
What: Ice castle
Where: 4501 Garrison Lane (corner of Garrison and Wooddale Avenue)
When: 7 to 10 p.m. Feb. 7 to 9
Cost: Freewill donation for Habitat for Humanity
By Jason Kroeker
Sun Newspapers
February 6, 2008
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