Construction Project

(Yeah, yeah.) Polar Fest Jan. 30 and 31 is your ticket to snowy creations. Last year, organizer Lisa Nemeth noticed people wandering outside the arts and crafts show to make snowmen. So for this year's event, she set aside space at the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds so people can craft their own Olafs and Frostys. Nemeth even picked up some tips to assist snowy builders.

 

Bring a spray bottle filled with cool water to wet the snow so it's easier to pack. Start forming the base snowball in your hands. "Continue to add snow to the ball and roll it in your hands until you can't hold it anymore," Nemeth says.

 

Once it's too big to hold, roll the ball through the snow. "It's going to start getting elongated, so you have to roll to the right and left to keep it round," Nemeth says. She suggests stopping once the ball reaches your knees. Repeat the process for the next two balls, making each one smaller. "Flatten the top of each ball so the next one has something to rest on," she adds.

 

Dress your snowman with a scarf and a hat (Nemeth's tip is to fill the hat with snow so it stays on). Add buttons for eyes and a mouth, threading pipe cleaners through them and into the snow to keep everything in place. "It gives the snowman personality," Nemeth says. "It makes a lifeless thing come to life."