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Do This: Snow Days at Navy Pier

By Chris Bentley in Arts & Entertainment on Jan 26, 2013 5:00PM

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A snow sculpture at 2012’s Snow Days. Not to be outdone by the manufactured snow used in the sculpture competition, the real thing arrived just in time for this year’s event after a long drought. Milosh Kosanovich
Another snowless streak is over in Chicago, just in time to ogle some massive snow sculptures at Navy Pier. Snow Days, Gateway Park’s annual celebration of that elusive precipitation, kicked off Friday and continues through the weekend.

The snow sculpture competition takes place Saturday, and even if you’re whiling away winter in the depths of seasonal affective disorder, you have to marvel that someone (Pylaev Rudolf and his team) came all the way from Russia to build a 10-foot tall facsimile of Batman fighting Jaws. (Where’s your shark repellent now, Caped Crusader?)

Chicago Public Schools students also designed snow sculptures, which will be awarded medals during the 6 p.m. ceremony when the pros find out who takes home $1500 for first place.

Round out the weekend’s family-friendly events are snow games and, somehow, a snowboard park. Ah to be young again — evidently a crew will pull young snowboarders through an obstacle course. Just make sure they stay on course and don’t knock down that gargoyle.

Snow Days is at Navy Pier’s Gateway Park Saturday 11 a.m. — 8 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m. — 6 p.m.