Suburban snow sculpting contest moving to Chicago

A snow sculpting competition that's been held in the Northwest suburbs for the past four years is moving to Chicago.

Snow Visions Inc., headed by Arlington Heights resident Fran Volz, is taking the event to Grant Park.

Volz said he'd always planned to move the competition to Chicago, but previous deals had fallen through.

So venues in the Northwest suburbs - including the event's most recent home, Randhurst Shopping Center in Mount Prospect - were selected instead.

But now, Volz has brokered a deal with the city of Chicago for Snow Days Chicago, a five-day event that will run from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 12, to Monday, Feb. 16, in the Spirit of Music Garden near Michigan Avenue and Balbo Drive.

"I have always wanted to bring the art of snow sculpting to as many people as possible," Volz said. "I saw an opportunity to do so and I took it."

For the last two years, the competition was held on the grounds of Randhurst, drawing sculpting teams from as far away as the Netherlands, as well as tens of thousands of spectators.

Last year, sculptors chiseled away at 10-feet-tall, 2-ton blocks of ice for a $1,500 grand prize. Second-place teams received $1,000, while third place got $500. Eight high school teams also competed.

The two prior years, the event was held in Schaumburg and, before that, Rolling Meadows.

Volz said he would've been happy to hold the competition again at Randhurst but couldn't pass up the chance for a bigger venue in Chicago.

Most of Randhurst is also being gutted in preparation for a major redevelopment, and that was another factor in the decision to move the event, Volz said.

It created an issue for the competition since the awards ceremony was held in the mall and sculptors had used the mall as a warming area.

This year, about 15 professional teams will sculpt their creations out of blocks of man-made snow. Two local high schools, Fremd and Hoffman Estates, will be part of the competition as well, Volz said. Other teams from Chicago Public Schools will also participate, said Ann Hickey, director of program development with the city of Chicago.

Snow Days Chicago will also feature snowboarding and Siberian huskies demonstrations throughout the competition, Hickey said.