‘Tonight We Ride,’ ‘Paddlefish’ take frosty art honors

ST. PAUL WINTER CARNIVAL

Ice carving entries can be seen at Rice Park; snow sculptures on view at Fairgrounds

First place for the 10-block division in the Winter Carnival Ice Carving Competition went to Paul Hughes and Deneena Hughes, from Eden Prarie, who made “Tonight We Ride.” PHOTOS COURTESY OF ST. PAUL WINTER CARNIVAL

TEAM “HOUSE OF THUNE,” INCLUDING JASON ARNEY-O’NEIL, DUSTY THUNE, AND DAVID AICHINGER OF ST. PAUL, TOOK HOME FIRST PLACE FOR “PADDLEFISH.”

Image

By Talia McWright

tmcwright@pioneerpress.com

Here are the winners of the St. Paul Winter Carnival Ice Carving Competition and the Minnesota State Snow Sculpting Competition.

St. Paul Winter Carnival Ice Carving Competition

Artists carved 300-pound blocks of ice during the first weekend of the carnival at Rice Park (temporarily nicknamed “Ice Park”) this season.

The multi-block teams had 48 hours, from 7 p.m. Thursday to 7 p.m. Saturday, to complete their sculptures with 10 blocks of ice. On Sunday, artists had five hours to carve in the single block professional and artisan competitions.

• First place for the 10-block, Multiblock Division went to Paul Hughes and Deneena Hughes, from Eden Prarie, for their sculpture, “Tonight We Ride” — earning them a cash prize of $1,250.

• Tying for second were Greg Schmotzer and Tyler Schmotzer from Hastings with their “Under the Sea” sculpture, and Tom Klug, Ian Buckley, Kevin Petroske, and John Klug with their sculpture, “Snowball Fight.”

•In the Single Block Professional Division, John Njoes took first place for his “Hammock on the Beach,” with a prize of $600. Paul Hughes and Deneena Hughes took second place for their sculpture “Sharks.” Rob Graham and AJ Edwards took third place for “Moon & Stars.”

•In the Single Block Artisan Division, John Raak and Brianna took first place at $300 for their sculpture “Walleye.” Randy Raak and Brian Raak took second place for “Tree of Life.” Jim Zupfer and Nate Stromberg took third place for “Family Together.”

Minnesota State Snow Sculpting Competition

The Minnesota State Snow Sculpting Competition began at 8 a.m. on Friday and ended at noon Sunday.

• Team “House of Thune,” including Jason Arney-O’Neil, Dusty Thune, and David Aichinger of St. Paul took home first place for “Paddlefish.”

• Team “Doing Our Best,” including Carmen Martin, Maddy Dahl, and Erik Krenz of St. Paul, took second place, People’s Choice, and Artist’s Choice for, “It’s an Owl Chasing a Mouse.”

• Third Place went to team “Royal and Supreme Order of Snow and Sand Sculptors and Shovellers,” including Jonathan Baller, Curtis Cook, and Joshua Baller of Stillwater for “Grand Marais.”

• Vulcan’s Choice went to team “Pig’s Eye Pirates,” including Sheldon Moe, Jason Moe and Greg Mitchell of St. Paul for “The Big Bang.”

• The Amateur Small Block Winner was team “Snow Angels,” including Shannon Johnson, Jennifer Moeller and Kate Fairman for “Cynthia’s Snowbot.”

• Amateur Small Block Second Place went to team “Bromar,” including Omar Zayas Santiago and Bradley Sovik, for “Sorting Hat.”

• Amateur Small Block Third Place was awarded to team “Thin Ice,” including Emily Kamin, Mary Fitzgerald and Barry Fitzgerald for “Gone Fishin.”

The ice and snow creations are viewable for free at Rice Park, 109 W 4th St, St. Paul, and the Minnesota State Fairgrounds, 1265 Snelling Ave, St. Paul, until the end of the Winter Carnival, Sunday, Feb. 2.