Brothers sculpt 12-foot-tall sea turtle from snow

NEW BRIGHTON, Minn., Jan. 12 (UPI) -- A trio of Minnesota brothers famed for their snow sculptures of sea creatures have unveiled their latest front yard creation, a 12-foot-tall sea turtle.

Trevor Bartz, 19, said he and brothers Austin, 20, and Connor, 16, have made a yearly tradition out of creating massive snow sculptures in their family's New Brighton front yard and they are especially fond of sea creatures.

"Every year we try to do a sculpture of a sea creature because the sculpture is made out of snow, which is made out of water," Trevor Bartz told KARE-TV, "so we kind of like to stay with the theme, it's a cool theme, and it's something that everyone can recognize."

The brothers continued their tradition this year by constructing a massive snow sea turtle measuring 12 feet tall, 37 feet long and 31 feet wide. They said the project began with snow gathering Nov. 14 and construction was finalized Jan. 7.

"A lot of people when they drive by, all of sudden they'll put on the brakes, swing their head around and look at the sculpture," Trevor said. "That's always fun to see, and also there are a lot of children, when you see the look on their face and they just are in awe so much, it's just great to see."

The brothers said they will continue to do repairs and touch-ups on the turtle until it melts and they are hoping it will last through April.

The sea creatures sculpted by the brothers Bartz in previous years include a shark, a puffer fish and a walrus.