NEW BRIGHTON, Minn. - A giant snow creation in New Brighton is bigger -- and better than ever this year.
A trio of brothers show off their creativity putting it together but it's more than just a great photo opp.
The work on this year's snow sculpture is incredible. It started a month ago and they have more than 600 hours in. In fact, you have to step away a little bit to really appreciate it.
It's more than 22 feet high and 30 some feet long. And its name is Slinky.
"We definitely went a lot bigger than normal," Austin Bartz said.
That's saying something, considering the Bartz brothers already have a big tradition. Each year their snow sculptures have grown, over the last eight years.
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And so have the crowds.
"It was just kind of, go out and make a snowman and then it turned into this," their dad said.
"We have thousands of people a day coming by and taking a look at it. We love it."
Even if that means the demands are growing bigger, too.
"We're like, OK, in order to do this, we've gotta have somebody dump truck it in," Austin said.
Their parents also allowed them to rip out bushes in the yard for more room to create.
But it's not just a photo opportunity -- all that traffic also brings in big bucks, for a good cause.
"We've raised $58,000 or $59,000 for clean water," he said. "And this year, our goal is to raise $30,000."
And that's worthy of some big praise.
If you'd like to get your picture taken, you obviously still have plenty of time. Slinky the snail isn't moving anywhere, weather permitting. The family just asks that you keep those hours of photos between 8 a.m. and 10:30 p.m. They've gotta get some sleep at some point.