Snow statue builders for Michigan Technological University’s Winter Carnival had to contend with the opposite problem. Snowfall was sparse for most of January. And the week leading up to Wednesday’s all-nighter was marked with above-freezing temperatures that didn’t lend themselves to the kind of shaping necessary for award-winning statues.

They’d also been delayed by a more familiar problem — the snowstorm that finally brought a new round of snow also brought wind chills of -25 degrees, halting construction under Carnival rules.

Even in less-than-ideal conditions, they pushed through, providing a festive atmosphere on Tech’s campus Wednesday night.

Alpha Sigma Tau members were busy putting the finishing touches on their statue outside their house on College Avenue.

Garrett Neese/Daily Mining Gazette Alpha Sigma Tau members build a Candyland statue during Wednesday’s all-nighter.

“It’s been delayed, for sure, especially with temperatures being right near 40 today, and not being able to work last week, it’s been a lot slower of a process, but it’s still getting done tonight,” said third-year student Anna Kavanaugh.

The warmer temperatures make carving harder, Kavanaugh said. And there was a crew of people waiting for the temperature to drop below freezing.

“We do a lot of detail work with ice, and when it’s so warm you can’t really take it out of the freezer and work with it because it’ll crack or melt,” said third-year student Eliza Stone.

Alpha Sigma Tau discusses the idea as a group. The statue chairs prepare drawings, which then go before the entire group for critique. After another round of drawings, the members vote on the final design, which this year was based on the game Candy Land.

“It’s been fun to work with, kind of nostalgic playing the game and everything, then bringing it to life,” Stone said.

Garrett Neese/Daily Mining Gazette Gabby Hori, a first-year student in the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps, carves detail into the statue Wednesday night.

Winter Carnival snow statues make the Tech experience unique, the students said. It’s something they start looking forward to over winter break.

“Especially doing a month-long statue, you really just put your heart into it right away and then you get to see it all come together,” Kavanaugh said.

The overnight freezes were helpful for Tau Kappa Epsilon, allowing them to finish larger forms in the back of the statue, said first-year student Charlie Magnus.

Wednesday’s warm weather had slowed them, but members looked ahead on the forecast to 10 p.m., when temperatures would dip enough to let them finish detail work. For the time being, several members were busy working on the section in front that would eventually hold the statue’s name.

“We get to cut stuff up and put everyone on that so we don’t have to worry about it later, but then when it does freeze, we’re going to be able to get all the detail stuff,” Magnus said. “There’s plenty of time to do it. It doesn’t need that much more, just a bunch of texture.”

Garrett Neese/Daily Mining Gazette Second-year student Annalise Walsh and third-year student Allie Longstreet man the teeter-totter for Delta Phi Epsilon’s 36-hour fundraiser for cystic fibrosis.

Students spend about 30 hours a week on the statues, heading out from 6 p.m. to midnight.

Stomping on the forms and lifting buckets to fill four stories of scaffolding took a long time, but the goal is worth it, Magnus said.

“It was stressful at times, but in the end it’s always nice to see the finished product and have people walk by and go ‘Wow, that was pretty cool. They usually have a good one,'” he said.

“There’s a sense of accomplishment when it comes to that.”

If the weather wasn’t perfect for snow statues, it was more comfortable for those just taking in the sights.

Garrett Neese/Daily Mining Gazette Noah Zins DJs as part of MTU’s Audio Engineering Society’s EDM concert Wednesday night.

Streams of people filled the campus pathways and sidewalks of College Avenue last night, watching statues in progress. Vendors of all kinds were there to help fuel them, whether tacos, grilled-cheese sandwiches, deep-fried Twinkies or newer commercial vendors such as Italian beef.

Multiple dance parties had the crowd moving, while those who wanted to make some music themselves headed to the Memorial Union Building for karaoke.

It wasn’t just students who came out to watch. The event annually brings out community members and alumni alike.

Sterling Korstead, a 2018 Tech grad, came over from St. Paul to see Carnival. He sympathized with the statue builders. While the warmth was nice, even as an observer it wasn’t necessary for a good Winter Carnival, he said.

“All my good memories came when it was cold,” he said.

Garrett Neese/Daily Mining Gazette Jeremiah Kooshian of Zeeland, Michigan, helps out the Navigators on their all-nighter statue.

He remembered building statues with the Husky Pep Band.

“That was probably my favorite thing, building statues and seeing people have a good time with it,” he said.