December 26, 2020

FROM FROZEN BLUE BOX WILL SOON EMERGE AMAZING ICE SCULPTURE

GRAVENHURST — Andrey Petrov is taking the start today’s lockdown seriously by staying home — and staying busy.

With February’s winter carnival in doubt, due to COVID, he is keeping his snow-building skills sharp.

The perennial ice sculpture winner and winter snow artist has been busy at home the past two days since the latest Christmas Eve snowfall.

He and his little apprentice son, Nikola, were out again today adding blue box, after blue box of packed snow to a pair of eight-foot high walls in front of the old Huggett House on Hotchkiss Street across from the Gravenhurst Public School.

They were busy as beavers setting the stage for this year’s frozen creation.

Already in less than 48 hours the four dozen blocks have formed up nicely solid.

Dad says he isn’t sure what he’ll carve this time.

One, though, is going to be slide.

But look for the other to be more than a simple snowman.

Petrov is one serious sculptor.

He’s been as ambitious as carving Moscow’s St. Basil’s Cathedral into his front yard.

Last year at Gull Lake Rotary Park he was tops in the Gravenhurst Winter Carnival ice sculpture contest carving a nautilus and an inuksuk. His friend built the Eiffel Tower.

If you have nothing to do — and when you have to get out for essentials — it may be worth a drive by the John and Hotchkiss streets intersection (by the elementary and high schools) to enjoy a look.

Whatever it is it’s going to be amazing what comes out of a blue box packed with snow.