A beloved 25-foot snowman is back in front of an Anchorage home, delighting families once again after a 10-year hiatus.
According to the Anchorage Daily News,the snowman dubbed "Snowzilla" was the subject of a cease-and-desist letter from the city as neighbors complained the snowman increased traffic in the neighborhood. There were also fears that the structure of the snowman was unsafe.
But years later, Snowzilla returned with the help of friends and neighbors. The father-son duo responsible for the snowman told the Anchorage Daily News that a lack of early-season snow and other factors contributed to the break.
“We had bad snow years for several, and then my kids grew up and dispersed. It takes a lot of energy,” Billy Powers told the newspaper.
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The snowman had the blessing from at least one neighbor, Darrell Estes, who helped create the snowman's hat, pipe and nose, he told the Anchorage Daily News.
“(The city) kind of ran the gamut when they bad-mouthed it,” Estes told the outlet. “I mean, there’s no snowman law. You can’t tell someone they can’t build a snowman.”
Videos on social media showed families lining up to take pictures with the snowman that stands taller than homes in the neighborhood.
Neighbor Melinda Boeckman wrote on Facebook that she was happy to see the snowman back in her neighborhood.
"It’s been about 15 years since we’ve seen the huge snowman," she wrote. "Brings back lots of memories. Happy to see him back in the neighborhood again."
Snow was plentiful in the Anchorage area in December. The area had over 40 inches of snow, which is nearly double its usual amount, according to the National Weather Service.
