NEW BRIGHTON, Minn. — On Saturday, an annual winter tradition was unveiled in New Brighton.
The Bartz Brothers, Austin and Connor, dedicated their latest snow sculpture to "Sparky," the sea lion at Como Zoo in Saint Paul.
Sparky is over 21 feet tall and 48 feet long, their largest creation to date.
Just over a week ago, the brothers told KARE 11 that the winter weather was making their process more difficult.
First, it was too warm and the lack of snow forced the two to truck it in from parking lots across the metro. They even asked for volunteers.
Then the temperatures dropped too low. The brothers had to improvise inside a shed they built by hand at Brightwood Hills Golf Course.
"We're taking sleds of snow from outside on the pond, we're sledding it inside, bringing it around this way and into the snow factory," explained Austin, who used heaters to warm up the snow so it's the right consistency.
Despite the difficulties, the completed sculpture was revealed to the public on Saturday afternoon.
It's free to visit Sparky but the brothers are collecting donations for WorldVision, a nonprofit that raises money for countries that don't have access to clean water.
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