By Sydney Havens

The second annual snowman building contest has been announced by the city of Fulton Department of Parks and Recreation. 

All residents within the 13069 area are eligible and the contest is free to enter. Contestants can register online on the city’s website, www.fultonny.org, or on the parks and recreation Facebook page. They can also scan the QR code on the flier which will be distributed to students throughout the school district. 

Photo entries must be submitted by email to fultonparksandrec@cityoffulton.com no later than Feb. 23. Fulton’s Director of Parks and Recreation, Chris Waldron, said the decision to continue the snowman contest came from the success of the event last year. 

“We received such an outpouring of support from the Fulton community with our first snowman contest, we had to make this an annual event,” Waldron said. “Last year, the snowman creations were nothing short of amazing, and we can’t wait to see what the contestants come up with this year.” 

Winners will be chosen in three categories: Fulton Pride, Biggest and Most Creative. Entries will be posted on Facebook on Feb. 24 to be voted on. Winners will be announced on Feb. 27. Fulton’s Mayor, Deana Michaels, explained the value of establishing light-hearted events throughout the city. 

“It’s important we continue to provide free family friendly events throughout the city such as this snowman contest,’’ Michaels said. “Chris Waldron and his special events committee are doing an excellent job of creating a calendar of events throughout the year. I look forward to seeing all the creative entries this year. It’s sure to be a fun time.”

Previous winners have used this competition as an opportunity to showcase their local pride, but making a creative snowman might not be as easy as it seems. The AccuWeather team has released some of their tips on how to build the best snowman. They say that building technique and weather conditions play a very important role in how a snowman turns out. 

According to AccuWeather, location is everything. Make sure to start out on a flat surface with about two inches of wet snow for the snowman to sit on. A big patch of snow that can be used to roll the snowman on is also necessary. Not only that, but the ideal temperature for snowman construction is 30 degrees. At that point, the snow has only a little moisture in it but is still soft enough to shape. If it is too cold, the snow will be too powdery to form correctly. 

Starting from the bottom up and making the biggest bottom you can roll is a good place to begin. The AccuWeather team states that the balls for the perfect snowman’s figure are three, two and one foot in diameter, respectively. 

Also, it is important to keep in mind that there are a variety of decorations laying around in the backyard. Buttons, rocks and charcoal can all be used to accessorize a snowman. Adding a scarf or a hat is a great way to finish off the creation. Some even suggest pushing a wooden skewer through the middle of the snowman to keep it standing up right. 

The final point to keep in mind is that the snowman must be visible from the street. Contestants can contact fultonnny.org with any questions. 

Image via fultonny.org