Mt. Prospect snow art contest expected to draw 50,000

Rain -- the worst thing that could happen to a snow sculpting contest -- poured down on freshly made snow blocks on Monday.

Fran Volz sprang into action around 11 a.m. and covered the blocks with tarps.

"Those blocks are our babies," said Volz, president of Snow Visions Inc., which is heading up the annual Snow Sculpting Competition this week in Mount Prospect.

The crisis was averted and the tarps protected the snow, which Volz and his co-workers spent weeks packing into blocks for the carvers.

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Both professional snow carvers and high school teams will kick off the fourth annual snow sculpting contest today at Randhurst Shopping Center in Mount Prospect.

Weather for the rest of the week should be ideal for the event with the expected snow just adding to the scenery, Volz said.

"We're expecting some great overall coverage," he said. "Everything will be very white."

Professional teams from Holland, Canada, Wisconsin, Illinois and Michigan will compete for prizes. Admission is free. Typically about 50,000 people attend the five-day event, Volz said.

This year, 15 professional teams and 12 high school teams will be competing. One exhibition team of college students headed by a Northeastern Illinois University professor also will participate.

Voting on the best sculpture will start at 10 a.m. on Saturday and the winners are announced at 3 p.m. The professional contest offers money prizes for first, second and third place -- $1,500, $1,000 and $500 respectively.

The sculptures will remain at Randhurst after Sunday for public viewing.

Weather permitting, of course.