Larry Strouse has been making sculptures from snow as long as Mackinaw City has been hosting its annual Winter Festival, which is 16 years. Usually he sculpts solo, but this year's project, a replica of the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Mackinaw, may take more than two hands.

Mr. Strouse, a driver for a Cheboygan trucking company who has the winter off, has been at the Mackinaw City marina lawn each day this week, from morning until dark, working on his project.

"I'm not a professional," said Mr. Strouse, a multiple Winter Festival snow sculpting winner. "I do this part time."

Usually he uses only one eightfoot by eightfoot snow block, but, even though the sculpture is to be one- 10th the size of the actual ship, it calls for three blocks of snow.

"That's why I need help this year," he said.

Assisting him are volunteers Marilyn McFarland and Lisa Hallack, who also give tours on the ship to visitors. It was Ms. Hallack's idea to sculpt the Mackinaw, said Mr. Strouse.

The snow sculpting contest, which will have three competing teams this year - Mr. Strouse's, and teams from Cheboygan and Clear Lake - is how the Winter Festival began, said Dawn Edwards, director of the Mackinaw City Chamber of Commerce.

Local resident and carving hobbyist Jim Pryor gathered a group of friends and began carving snow sculptures one year, she said, and from there, it evolved into an annual festival.

"Other events were added shortly after, like a gumbo contest, until one year the tent blew over from a storm," she said. "Now we have a chili contest indoors at the [American] Legion." Kids games and other contests for adults, like the popular outhouse races, were also added.

"The outhouse races began one winter when we hardly had any snow," said Mrs. Edwards. "We had a Hawaiian theme that year."

This year's outhouse races will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, January 17.

For snow sculpting, the overall winner and the people's choice winner will be announced at 1:15 p.m. Saturday. First place prize is $200, second is $150, and third is $50. The winner of the people's choice, sponsored by Mackinaw Area Visitors Bureau, will receive a trophy and $50.

Mr. Strouse said he got into snow sculpting from his wood carving hobby. He credits his grandson, John, in getting him interested in that years ago. When he moved to Mackinaw City from Mason in 1989, he joined Mr. Pryor's carving club, and he is still a member today.

"Snow sculpting is a lot easier than wood carving, but it's a lot of bull working because of the cold temperatures and because of the larger, heavier blocks you work with," said Mr. Strouse.

He uses any tool that works.

"I usually use an ice spud or an old cross cut saw, but over the years, I've made my own tools, using pieces of wood, a truss plate, and a handle."

He got the idea of making his own tools from watching professional snow and ice sculptors.

Even as an amateur, Mr. Strouse knows what type of snow is good and what type is bad for sculpting.

"That's one of the other big challenges is what kind of snow you have," he said. "The harder the snow, the better, but if you have any impurity in the snow, like chunks of ice or having the sun beat down on it, it makes it more of a challenge."

Sculptors in the Winter Festival contest rely solely on what falls to the ground from the sky, said Mr. Strouse.

"We don't make our own snow here," he said. "Whatever we got at the time is what we use."

Some years, like last year, the snow sculpting contest is canceled owing to lack of snow.

"Not this year, though," assured Mrs. Edwards. "The challenge this year will be the cold temperatures, which is supposed to be in single digits during the event."

For Mr. Strouse, giving his Mackinaw sculpture detail will be the most demanding part, especially the life boats with hoists that are strapped to each of the boat's sides.

"I use a book about the boat that has lots of photographs, but all I have to do is turn around and see it docked, too," said Mr. Strouse of the ship, which rests nearby at the state dock.

In prior years, Mr. Strouse has sculpted a "bridge troll," equipped with a cane in one hand, holding a goose by its neck in the other, and, with the help of other contestants, sculpted a four-foot by four-foot dragon slide. Children were able to slide down the sculpture and out of the dragon's mouth.

"The troll was easy because no one knows what a 'bridge troll' would look like," Mr. Strouse said, "but with the Mackinaw, it's going to be tricky with the details."

By purchasing a $2 Winter Festival button, available at any Winter Festival event station, visitors are automatically included in the snow sculpture voting, said Mrs. Edwards.

All proceeds support the ongoing event each year, she said.

Other Winter Festival events on Saturday include:

• Chili cook-off competition, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the American Legion Post on South Huron Avenue;

• Mancino's Euchre Tournament, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Macino's Restaurant;

• Poker walk, from 10:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Candy Corner Windjammer Gifts on Central Avenue;

• Sleigh rides from noon to 2:30 p.m. on Central Avenue;

• "Polar Nights" scholarship fundraiser, from 8 p.m. to midnight at Audie's Restaurant, which includes music, cocktail reception, and hors d' oeuvres.

Ice Tower Classic Now Underway

The second annual "Ice Tower Classic" contest is underway in Mackinaw City and will award a prize to the person who most accurately gauges the date and time of the spring ice melt in the village this year.

The contest will raise funds for the Historic Village project one mile west of town and tickets will be available for $5 at this weekend's Winterfest events.

Ticket sales end at midnight April 1.

An electronic timing device has been embedded at the base of the frozen ice fountain in front of the village hall. When the ice melts this spring, the person who has guessed the closest date and time when the timer stops will win a cash prize.

Last year's winners, John and Karen Lawler of Troy, won $1,700. Their guess, 11:31 a.m. on April 24, was the closest. The clock stopped at 11:03 a.m. that day.

The prize this year will depend upon the number of entries, said Mr. Marvin. Half of the money collected goes to the prize, with a guaranteed minimum of $1,000. The rest of the proceeds go toward the Mackinaw Area Historical Society for the benefit of the Historic Village, a project in partnership with the Village of Mackinaw City.

Tickets are available by calling Bill Marvin at (231) 436-4006, or visiting one of these following businesses: Candy Corner, Mackinaw Pastie and Cookie Company, Mackinaw Outfitters (gun shop), Coffman Hardware, Keyhole Bar, Holiday Inn Express, Audie's Restaurant, Mackinaw Building Center, Hamilton Inn, JR's Tailgate Pub, Pancake Chef and Dixie Saloon.