The three boys are back at it again creating yet another snow masterpiece! In New Brighton, blocks away from Totino-Grace, sits a 22-foot tall fish modeled after a bluegill in the brothers yard.

The Bartz Brothers – 22-year-old Austin, 21-year-old Trevor and 18-year-old Connor, for the fifth year in a row have made a ginormous, water-themed sculpture. The brothers started this year’s sculpture on November 18th, needing to get a quick jump on the project due to this year’s dry and early winter. The brothers had to gather snow from neighbors’ yards and a church parking lot. Weather proved to be difficult this year, rain on Christmas day washed away some of the fish’s scales.

The sculpture took around 350 hours to finish and is entirely constructed out of snow. This holiday tradition began six years ago, brought upon when one of the brothers, Austin, caught a puffer fish in Florida. The other brothers shared Austin’s creative idea of making the creature out of snow, thus spurring the tradition. Since the puffer fish, the boys have made a walrus, a shark, an octopus, and this year’s fish.

The brothers cherish the time they get to sculpt, for it is precious bonding time for the three. Over the years, the brothers have learned a few tricks. One of these being placing the snow in their garage and putting the temperature at 90 degrees. “It makes the snow really packable,” Austin said. The brothers agree the most satisfying thing about creating the sculptures is onlookers’ reactions.

Similarly to years past, the brothers are accepting donations for clean water initiatives. The collection for this year goes toward funding clean water operations in the African country of Malawi. This initiative is carried out by One Day’s Wages, a company dedicated towards making an impact on the word through a variety of projects.

The sculpture can be seen at 2777 16th St. NW New Brighton, MN 55112. Go check out the masterpiece out for yourself! For any information on the family or their sculptures over the past few years, go to their Facebook page.