SPICER, Minn. — Wearing ice-covered boots and wiping away icicles from beards and noses, a crew of about 40 people were busy Wednesday harvesting massive ice blocks from Green Lake near Spicer.
Prized for the crystal-clear ice that reflects a blue hue as the sun filters through the bitter cold air, the 573-pound blocks of Green Lake ice will be the jewels used to build a 70-foot-tall ice castle in St. Paul for the Winter Carnival.
St. Paul’s annual winter celebration will be extended an extra week this year — from Jan. 25 to Feb. 10 — to coincide with Super Bowl festivities in Minneapolis.
Knowing that the ice castle will likely draw nationwide attention with the Super Bowl next month, the crew of local and metro workers on Green Lake are putting their heart and soul into a very cold job.