EAGLE RIVER — The effort and spirit is guaranteed each year, but the conditions for this unique project are never a given.
A family gets their first peek last Sunday evening at the ice castle that was completed earlier that day near the historic train depot in downtown Eagle River. Conditions were ideal this winter for making the required 13 inches of ice on nearby Silver Lake for the 33-foot-high castle's construction. The castle will remain up as long as the weather permits.
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Snow falls last Sunday night in Eagle River as the ice castle glows in the night sky. More than 2,000 blocks of ice were used to build the castle.
Building an ice castle is a major construction project that requires hours of work by volunteers and the use of forklifts, scaffolding, chain saws and bucket trucks.
Natalie Simac, left, 18, a lifelong resident of Eagle River, positions a a block of ice on Jan. 9 as one of the towers for the ice castle begins to rise. Simac is studying firefighting at Madison Area Technical College in Madison and is an intern with the Verona Fire Department but took a week off to help build the castle.
Jim Lehmann, left, and an unidentified volunteer, are covered in ice dust on Jan. 9 as they run blocks of ice through a shaver. The machine, which uses chainsaw blades on a spinning drum, helps ensure a flat surface so blocks for the ice castle can be evenly stacked. The Eagle River Fire Department has been leading the construction of the ice castle since 1987.
Jim Bonson, center, helps other volunteers move blocks of ice that had just been shaved onto a pallet. Bonson, an Eagle River historian, has been helping out with the build since 1978 and is a former Eagle River volunteer firefighter.
Mick Dreger, a retired Vilas County snowplow driver, uses a chainsaw to carve one the many finials for the ice castle. "The more cuts I put in the more reflective they get," said Dreger, 68, who has been helping to build Eagle River ice castles for 38 years.
The first ice castle in Eagle River was built in 1933 and has become an annual tradition. Warm weather in recent years has challenged construction efforts, but conditions this season were ideal, according to organizers.
Photos: An ice castle rises and glows in downtown Eagle River
Eagle River Ice Castle
Volunteers slide blocks of lake ice onto a conveyor to be shaved for their use in an ice castle in Eagle River.
Eagle River Ice Castle
Jim Lehmann, left, and an unidentified volunteer, are covered in ice dust on Jan. 9 as they run blocks of ice through a shaver. The machine, which uses chainsaw blades on a spinning drum, helps ensure a flat surface so blocks for the ice castle can be evenly stacked. The Eagle River Fire Department has been leading the construction of the ice castle since 1987.
Eagle River Ice Castle
Ice dust fills the air as blocks of ice go through a shaver.
Eagle River Ice Castle
This homemade ice shaving machine was constructed in 1990 to help speed up the construction of the ice castle in Eagle River.
Eagle River Ice Castle
Jim Bonson, center, helps other volunteers move blocks of ice that had just been shaved onto a pallet. Bonson, an Eagle River historian, has been helping out with the build since 1978 and is a former Eagle River volunteer firefighter.
Eagle River Ice Castle
Building an ice castle is a major construction project that requires hours of work by volunteers and the use of forklifts, scaffolding, chain saws and bucket trucks.
Eagle River Ice Castle
Walt Tyshynsky a retired Milwaukee police officer, now lives in Eagle River and volunteered last week to help prepare blocks of lake ice for their use in the construction of the ice castle.
Eagle River Ice Castle
Natalie Simac, left, and her father, Greg Simac, assistant fire chief for the Eagle River Fire Department, work side by side placing blocks of ice on the ice castle as it is constructed in downtown Eagle River.
Eagle River Ice Castle
Teams of volunteers work last week to build the ice castle in downtown Eagle River.
Eagle River Ice Castle
To help ice blocks to bond, Greg Simac pours a bucket of water on a layer of ice blocks during construction of the ice castle.
Eagle River Ice Castle
Mick Dreger, a retired Vilas County snowplow driver, uses a chainsaw to carve one the many finials for the ice castle. "The more cuts I put in the more reflective they get," said Dreger, 68, who has been helping to build Eagle River ice castles for 38 years.
Eagle River Ice Castle
Natalie Simac, left, 18, a lifelong resident of Eagle River, positions a a block of ice on Jan. 9 as one of the towers for the ice castle begins to rise. Simac is studying firefighting at Madison Area Technical College in Madison and is an intern with the Verona Fire Department but took a week off to help build the castle.
Eagle River Ice Castle
As the ice castle gains height, scaffolding is added to help aide in the construction.
Eagle River Ice Castle
A family gets their first peek last Sunday evening at the ice castle that was completed earlier that day near the historic train depot in downtown Eagle River. Conditions were ideal this winter for making the required 13 inches of ice on nearby Silver Lake for the 33-foot-high castle's construction. The castle will remain up as long as the weather permits.
Eagle River Ice Castle
The first ice castle in Eagle River was built in 1933 and has become an annual tradition. Warm weather in recent years has challenged construction efforts, but conditions this season were ideal, according to organizers.
Eagle River Ice Castle
Visitors pose for pictures on Sunday night shortly after the ice caste was completed in downtown Eagle River.
Eagle River Ice Castle
Snow falls last Sunday night in Eagle River as the ice castle glows in the night sky. More than 2,000 blocks of ice were used to build the castle.
Eagle River Ice Castle
A family poses on the backside of the ice castle in downtown Eagle River.
