ST PAUL, Minn. — In certain cases, the number 50 is viewed as a milestone.
"This is kind of an anniversary for me," said John Raak.
What better place to celebrate a 50th anniversary than at St. Paul’s Winter Carnival, where Raak has spent the last 50 years competing -- carving ice into dazzling works of art.
"I have never missed a carnival in those 50 years, I started when I was 20," said Raak. "I have an older brother who’s a professional artist, and he is the one who kind of got me into it.”
From tooth fairies to snails, and even the challenge of mystical creatures. Each work of art, handcrafted to perfection, through a process which Raak says has changed overtime.
"The young ones coming up, the tools kind of have evolved a bit over the years," said Raak. "My pieces are all finished with hand tools, with chisels so I'm kind of the old chiseler of the bunch.”
Those old tricks of the trade are now being handed off to the next generation of carvers.
"Learned a lot from him," said a fellow carver.
"It's really more about the camaraderie and having a good time, seeing all my old friends," said Raak.
Which keeps him coming back for more, carving his way to the next milestone.
"I look forward to it every year, I keep saying, 'Well, this might be my last year,' I'm heading south for the winter but I would miss it," said Raak. "Hopefully I’ll have another 10 years in me.”
Raak will be competing in Sunday's ice carving competition, which goes from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. He said he's planning to carve out a Griffon, a mythological creature with the body of a lion and head and wings of an eagle.
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