# "Snow-zilla" vs the City of Anchorage, AK



## Alaska Boss

Well, this is the storm thread, and there's a big "storm" brewing in the biggest city in Alaska,... and it's over the biggest snowman in Alaska,... named "Snow-zilla". This guy has been building this huge snowman on his own property for like 15 years now, claiming it's the biggest snowman in Alaska,... about 25 feet tall or so,... and the city of Anchorage has been fining him,... threatening to throw him in jail, etc etc etc, if he ever built it again,... and today, here it is again, the 2008 model!! The city claims it's unsafe because the streets right there aren't wide enough to handle all the extra traffic this snowman is attracting,... that it's attracting drunks who are urinating on the sidewalks and other property,... and that it has the potential to collapse and possibly injure or even kill someone (such as if the head rolled off or something, I guess,...). The outrage of the people toward the city bureaucrats is quite amusing to listen to on the radio talk shows,... the best quote I heard today was,.... "When snowmen are outlawed, only outlaws will have snowmen",....


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## theonlybull

now that's cool  (pun intended)


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## willyswagon

That is beyond AWESOME!!! My kids were laughing thier butts off. Call the city and tell them that the people of Eastern Canada say it is time to Lightn' Up 
It's a Snowman not a nuclear bomb


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## 06HD BOSS

very cool! i think im gonna try that...before this rain melt my snow


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## murphyslaw

The city cited them to take it down because "it was causing a hazard", since there was so much extra traffic in the neighborhood in the winter.

When the city goes threw neighborhoods that have culdesacks(sp?) they roll the snow to the center. a bunch of friends and I are going to go from culdesack to culdesack building snowman out of the snow the city put there. that way there is no one to cite, since its there snow they put it there and its a public road. should be fun.


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## murphyslaw

And they can not jail Jack Powers for this, since it is a city code violation. not an ordinance. its not a criminal code. just a code enforcement, one like having junk in your yard.


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## ALC-GregH

Go for it.


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## EaTmYtAiLpIpEs

how did he put the head on? with a bucket loader lol.


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## royallawn

what part of town is that in?


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## 91AK250

its over on the east side, a few houses down from a friend of mine.

i think its toatal BS honestly, i'd fight it but its not my deal.


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## KCB

Where did he get that giant top hat!? I love it


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## Alaska Boss

EaTmYtAiLpIpEs;689229 said:


> how did he put the head on? with a bucket loader lol.


I have no idea,... I had to make a quick trip into town yesterday, and this snowman is all that was on the news,.... it suddenly went up overnight,... it wasn't there the day before apparently,.... and the owner, Billy Ray Powers, says he's not sure who built it (basically taking the 5th),... but in any case, he had a lot of help to build that thing overnight,...



royallawn;689362 said:


> what part of town is that in?


It's close to the corner of DeBarr & Airport Heights. Since I was in town yesterday and this is all anyone was talking about,... and this snowman was built for Christmas in direct defiance of orders from the city,.. I decided I had to go check it out,...



KCB;689388 said:


> Where did he get that giant top hat!? I love it


I think he's got a lot of fans across Anchorage, and someone probably made it, along with the scarf & mittens. I also heard on the news yesterday that there was a drive-by drug-shooting in town,... shoplifting is up by 15%-20%, etc etc etc,.... yet the biggest "crime" that was on the news was this monster snowman that is apparently threatening most everyone. The picture above is one I took just as it was getting dark,... here's one of a guy walking by,.. who's risking is life, because after all,... the head could roll off & kill him,...


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## Humvee27

This is funny....it even made the news down here, probably because of all the snow we've had lately.....have any pics of the snowman in the cul-de-sacs? lol


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## JD Dave

That snowman is totally awsome.


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## sjosephlawncare

now, this is a great thread. alaska boss, you must keep us informed on what happens with this, i.e., jail, fines, etc,!!!! that must be a very small town. if that happened here, he would get city grants, and they would probably let him use their loader!


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## MileHigh

That snowman is pretty freaking cool....

But where do people get this kinda time to make something like that?...still pretty cool.


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## murphyslaw

This city is way stuck up. to many damn liberals, telling people what to do.


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## Alaska Boss

sjosephlawncare;689717 said:


> now, this is a great thread. alaska boss, you must keep us informed on what happens with this, i.e., jail, fines, etc,!!!! that must be a very small town. if that happened here, he would get city grants, and they would probably let him use their loader!


Well, I try to stay out of Anchorage (by far the biggest city in Alaska,.. population about 300,000,... right at ½ of the total for all Alaska) as much as possible,... (I live about 250 miles away), so I may not hear the latest news on what becomes of all this,... maybe one of these other guys that live there can keep us posted,.. but whatever I hear, I'll pass on,.. :salute:


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## royallawn

Alaska Boss;689942 said:


> Well, I try to stay out of Anchorage (by far the biggest city in Alaska,.. population about 300,000,... right at ½ of the total for all Alaska) as much as possible,... (I live about 250 miles away), so I may not hear the latest news on what becomes of all this,... maybe one of these other guys that live there can keep us posted,.. but whatever I hear, I'll pass on,.. :salute:


where do you live?


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## Alaska Boss

Well, just an update on "Snowzilla",... he apparently still lives, despite the continuing threats from city hall to dismantle him or face ever-increasing fines, getting arrested, possible jail time, etc etc etc. The city of Anchorage has received letters, phone calls, emails, etc from all over the world now pleading for the cause of Snowzilla. And apparently on Christmas Day,... some of Snowzilla's own family members showed up at city hall & picketed the front door with signs that read,... "Snowpeople have rights",... "Heck no, we won't go",... "Snowzilla needs a bailout too", etc etc etc. Witnesses said that the city manager (or possible security guard) destroyed them when he showed up for work the next morning,....


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## Alaska Boss

People all over town are now building their own "Snowzilla's" in a solidarity move to support the real one,... some big,.. others smaller,.... some not even made of snow,....wesport


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## Alaska Boss

And I found a few photos of Snowzilla from prior years,.... when he was younger,... and not quite so "jolly" around the middle,... :salute:

(I think the last one was from last year)


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## murphyslaw

Some buddies and I have been having fun with this. We were the ones that made the 10 small snowman on the sidewalk in front of city hall. grabbed bunch of buckets and stuff. packed them with snow then rolled over with the truck. stacked them up then another friend and some other people showed up with the signs.

the funny part is I work for the people that do the Security for city hall, guess it got the people on post in some trouble cause we were there for 15min doing that and they didn't see us.. I told the boss, hey think of it as situational training.


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## ALC-GregH

That's funny, LONG LIVE SNOW-ZILLA.....


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## JohnnyRoyale

Thats hilarious. Those politicians otta lighten up.


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## riverwalkland

i still don't get how they build it


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## KCB

^^^ forget about it, Snowzilla is a self made man^^^


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## lawnprolawns

Haha.. this whole thing is amazing. I wouldn't mind making my own here in Michigan.. not like I'd find enough snow..


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## Mark Oomkes

Alaska Boss;692703 said:


> Well, just an update on "Snowzilla",... he apparently still lives, despite the continuing threats from city hall to dismantle him or face ever-increasing fines, getting arrested, possible jail time, etc etc etc. The city of Anchorage has received letters, phone calls, emails, etc from all over the world now pleading for the cause of Snowzilla. And apparently on Christmas Day,... some of Snowzilla's own family members showed up at city hall & picketed the front door with signs that read,... "Snowpeople have rights",... "Heck no, we won't go",... "Snowzilla needs a bailout too", etc etc etc. Witnesses said that the city manager (or possible security guard) destroyed them when he showed up for work the next morning,....


This is hilarious. Just have to love politicians that step in a big pile of poo. Now they have to follow through to save face, even though they already lost it by making such a big deal out of nothing. Still amazing what idiots we elect to office.


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## Alaska Boss

Another update,.... Snowzilla has lived to see 2009 arrive,... I happened to be in town again,... and decided to drive by & see if the most famous snowman in Alaska still stood,... and he was. As a matter of fact, the whole UAA women's gymnastic team was posing in front of him when I got there,... but by the time I got my camera out, they had all ran back into their vans,... :realmad:


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## Alaska Boss

Then, just down the street from Snowzilla, a moose came out walking right down the street, and stopped in front of this house & started browsing on the people's tree,... it had a bunch of ice frozen around it's head & face from the cold,... even Anchorage has been mostly below zero for some time now,.... (it was -47° at my place when I left for town, so -10° seemed nice & warm,..


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## Alaska Boss

I also heard on the radio today, that even tho Snowzilla may be the biggest snowman in Alaska, it's not even close to being the biggest one ever built,... the record-holding one was a "snow-woman",... named "Olympia",... built last winter in the state of Maine. Whereas Snowzilla stands about 25 feet to the top of his hat,... "Olympia" stood 122 feet tall !! Notice the red car tires hanging for her lipstick mouth,... Christmas trees for arms,... and the skis used for her curled eye-lashes,... wesport


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## DareDog

wow those are big snowmen and snowwomen,


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## Case580M

In Houghton Mich they have a "Ice Statue Contest" each year and some of them are pretty spectacular too.


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## Case580M




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## Case580M




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## 91AK250

i've driven by snowzilla a million times the last few days and never got pics..i was visiting a friend at the jail off 4th ave and i cut thru that naborhood to hit the elmore extention. i'm going to get pics this year damnit...last pics i have are from 2005! he was much smaller then.


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## deere615

Snow zilla thats funny but really cool. I wonder if he got fined yet


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## 91AK250

oh yes, from what i understood anyway.


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## Humvee27

Did they make him take it down yet?


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## nicksplowing

riverwalkland;692884 said:


> i still don't get how they build it


*I THINK OUTTA OF SNOW*


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## Indy

riverwalkland;692884 said:


> i still don't get how they build it


Chuck Norris makes them, with one hand tied behind his back so it's fair.


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## Alaska Boss

Humvee27;738091 said:


> Did they make him take it down yet?


I don't know,... I haven't heard much lately,... and haven't been to town to go look for myself,... Anchorage (and most of the rest of the state) suffered thru a quite severe thaw during mid-January, so he may have taken a turn for the worse even if he hasn't been torn down yet,...


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## Alaska Boss

Just wanted to update the Snow-zilla situation here in Alaska,... so those of you that haven't slept well since this tragic event began to unravel,... I have some good news, and some bad news,.... first the good,....

SNOWZILLA STILL LIVES !!

But now the bad news,....

Just barely,....

"As of February 19th,... Snowzilla has been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer,... and is not expected to make a full recovery,.... this cancer has 'aged' him terribly,... and he is not even able to wear his hat at this time. Experts have said that even tho is condition is one of continuous decline,... his spirits remain high,... and he continues to wave at all visitors that still come to see him, and we wish him well,... "


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## Alaska Boss

When this news first hit the membership of Plowsite,... a few have decided to cease all snow removal operations, and concentrate their efforts now into comforting other fellow plowers & snow people in dealing with their grief,...


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## Alaska Boss

But the future still looks bright,... for there a many "mini-zilla's" thru-out Alaska that will keep the memory of our beloved "father" alive & fresh in our hearts,... so future snowfalls will continue to be anticipated with great eagerness,... that one day "Snowzilla" will once again be the form in the skyline that reminds us all why the snow season is the greatest season of all,.... :salute::salute::salute:


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## jimz2500

fantastic story


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## Alaska Boss

Just one more final word on the world-famous "Snowzilla, the snowman",..... with winter finally coming to an end in Anchorage, Alaska,... the end has also come to Snowzilla. No more crowded streets, no more drunks staggering along the sidewalks peeing on everything in sight,.. and the best news of all, Snowzilla's head didn't fall off & kill anyone, so all the highly-esteemed city leaders in Anchorage can now finally sleep at night again,.... knowing that they have kept the largest city in Alaska safe again from another potential catastrophe,... at least until next winter,... :waving::waving:


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## jimz2500

thanks for a good story, looking forward to the next monster


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## BigDave12768

This thread was great


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## Alaska Boss

Well, I was just recently in Anchorage, and was driving along the street that was close to the guy that has built "Snow-zilla" for the last number of years,... and even tho I haven't heard one peep in the news about this,.. I decided to swing by the guy's house & see if he dared to attempt to resurrect Snowzilla again for '09-'10,.... and this is what I found !! Now, Anchorage had a severe thawing spell again just recently, so I don't know if this is all the farther that building him got to,.. or if the thaw had caused his head to roll off/melt,... I didn't see any boots from dead drunks sticking out of the bottom of the snowman, nor was there any clothing or accessories laying around,... so I'm thinking that he never was finished this year. After all the stink that was made over this snowman last winter, I'm surprised that nothing has been in the news about it again,.. or maybe I just missed it,... :waving:


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## jimz2500

I love threads from the past.
Thanks for the update...the story of Snowzilla lives on!
Poor guy.....looks like he could use some lovins,lol.
Long live the Zilla from Alaska!


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