More than 2,000 blocks of ice were cut and removed from Silver Lake in Eagle River Wednesday.
Dozens of volunteers organized by the Eagle River Fire Department helped load the ice blocks into pickup trucks and deliver them to the Depot parking lot in downtown Eagle River where the ice castle will be built.
“It's amazing, all the work. I can't believe it,” said Bonnie Deutch of Land O’Lakes. She drove down with her friend, Vickie Muthig of Phelps, on Wednesday morning to see how the castle comes together.
“We've been here in the area so long, and we've never actually seen it, the process of what they go through to build it,” said Muthig.
“There's no snow to snowmobile right now, so we thought we got to get out and do something together,” added Deutsch.
They’re not the only ones excited for the return of the ice castle.
Eagle River Fire Captain Mike Dreger says it’s days of hard labor for volunteers like himself, but it’s worth it.
“We groan about it. It's a lot of work, but everybody in the community loves it, but the fire department probably loves it the most,” said Dreger.
The ice castle is more than a pretty sight. For many businesses it’s another way to bring tourists into town, something that’s much appreciated after last year’s lackluster winter.
Christopher Skarda owns The Daily Grind coffee shop right across the street from the ice castle. He says even though his business fairs better than others without the snowmobile trails open, the ice castle is still a welcome sight.
“A lot of people who come up, they drive from all over, hours away, and stop in for a little warm up of a cup of coffee or whatever, and then go back over there and take all the pictures in the world,” said Skarda. “It definitely brings in a lot to the community, and just in general, to the downtown area.”
While they don’t have hours drive to see the finished product, Deutsch and Muthig definitely plan to come back to Eagle River to see the completed castle.
“I like coming at night when the lights are on, getting pictures in front of it,” said Muthig.
There’s still a lot more work to be done.
After the blocks all get shaved down to the same size, construction begins. That process will take another two to three days.
WXPR spoke with two volunteers who have been helping build the ice castle since the 1970s.
Tune in next Friday to hear their stories as part of WXPR’s We Live Up Here series.
