MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota — Warm winter weather has forced organizers of several Minnesota events to either change or cancel plans.
From Art Shanty Projects to the U.S. Pond Hockey Championships, organizers are paying close attention to the forecast. The expectation of arctic air later this week is good news for those planning events out on frozen lakes.
"We're just kind of waiting to see what happens," said Erin Lavelle, artistic director for Art Shanty Projects. "We are a temporary artistic village that usually happens on a frozen lake. We're celebrating our 20th anniversary this year."
Sunday, Lavelle and others were busily refreshing some of Art Shanty Projects' infrastructure with a new coat of paint. They started work this weekend.
Last year, they had plenty of ice but still had to move off Lake Harriet and into Bandshell Park because of a snowstorm that insulated the ice and caused it to melt.
"Last year we did do Plan Beach, which is our version of Plan B, because the ice ended up not being safe. We're just waiting right now. We need 10 inches of clean, clear, new fresh ice," Lavelle said.
Lavelle checked Lake Harriet on Saturday and measured four inches.
"There was also open water on the lake and we need the whole lake to freeze," Lavelle said.
Lavelle said some snow is nice because it reflects the sun and keeps the temperatures colder. But too much snow results in a situation like last year, where there was a layer of slush and water under a frozen crust.
They're supposed to start installing the shanties on Saturday so Friday is the deadline to decide if they can have it on Lake Harriet.
If it's not safe to, Lavelle said, "One would be to install Plan Beach and do the four weekends and then the other option is, if the weather looks like it's going to stay cold and the ice will build enough, we might postpone a week."
Meanwhile, the U.S. Pond Hockey Championships are still on schedule to take place January 18-28 on Lake Nokomis. Event Manager Jesse Delorit said they are supposed to start work on land this week but it might be delayed. According to their website, Jan. 9-10 was planned for snow removal, while Jan. 10-17 was set aside for tent construction/event set-up.
Delorit said the deadline for a final decision is Jan. 14.
It's been a struggle for Minnesota Ice Castles in Maple Grove. Event Manager Brady Murphy said they started building after Thanksgiving but warm weather and rain took their progress out. After starting back at square one on New Year's Day, they're back in action. Murphy said crews are working around the clock but an opening date depends on the weather over the next few weeks.
The Ice Palace Minnesota is set to open in Delano Central Park on Jan. 25.
"We finally got some cold temperatures. We started putting up ice about a week ago and every day it's just growing faster and faster. We're really excited," said Anna Smith, general manager for the Ice Palace Minnesota.
Warmer winter weather means they will open nearly a month later than last year's date.
Smith said they want temperatures to be in the upper teens to lower 20s overnight, while anything below freezing during the day.
"We've got between the Ice Palace and our courtyard structure over 90,000 square feet of ice attraction. It's constantly changing because we are always growing and continuingly building," Smith said.
With snow on the way, Smith said, "Snow is good for us because we actually use snow as part of our building process. As we mix it with water and create a slush. that kind of becomes our concrete that holds everything together. So we like to have some snow, but too much snow can actually bury us and be a problem."
They will also be getting a snow machine this week to help the process. Smith said it also can be a problem if temperatures dip too low.
"If it's too cold, the water can freeze before it has a chance to drip down and create icicles. So it can become problematic if we have too long of sub-zero temperatures," Smith said.
She's excited to get the place open for visitors, saying, "I sure hope that people... they're just waiting for those winter activities and Minnesota is known as just the capital of winter... I hope everybody has a chance to come out and experience it."
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