There will be no Eagle River Ice Castle this year.
The rain and warm up before the big snowfall after Christmas created a layer of slush on many lakes in the area, including Silver Lake where the Fire Department pulls the ice blocks from.
The Eagle River Fire Department says while that layer of slush did freeze, they’d have to shave it off to ensure that the ice blocks were strong enough.
With that, the blocks would be too small to build. The departments 14 to 15 inches of ice on the lakes. Right now, there's only about 10.5 inches.
"We would like to thank everyone that offered their time, equipment and materials in preparation and we look forward to trying again next year," the fire department said in a Facebook post announcing the decision.
When conditions are right, the ice castle is built within the first two weeks of January to coincide with the Snowmobile Derby World Championship.
Last year was the first time in three years conditions allowed for the ice castle to be built.
