No 'Big Wild Life' for Snowzilla
If Snowzilla is not "Big Wild Life" then what is? That is the slogan for The city of Anchorage. It's emphasized on the city Web site that "We live larger than life." Yet when a good citizen of Anchorage builds a larger than life 16-foot snowman for all to enjoy during the six months of cold and snow, the city kills it!
Perhaps the city officials need to revisit their own Web site. Perhaps the new slogan should read "Big Hot Air"!!
-- Preston Rudderow
Anchorage
Move Snowzilla to a prime spot
Snowzilla! What a creative, fun idea! Except maybe in a small neighborhood. Why not take the idea and build the big snowperson in Town Square? The Park Strip? Incorporate it with the upcoming freeze celebration (in January on the Park Strip) or with Fur Rondy (I know they have the ice carving, but this could be a NEW thing). There could be Best Snowman, Snow Woman, Snow Family, etc. Let the Powers family be judges as they have "experience"! It's a great idea -- just maybe not a great location.
-- Virginia Samson
Anchorage
Lights just as bad as Snowzilla
I just read that Billy Powers' "Snowzilla" was deemed a public nuisance and a safety hazard, due to the fact it creates increased traffic and is also deemed an unsafe structure. These same city officials that ruled on this, should also consider people who exhibit Christmas lights and yard displays unsafe as well as they also create increased traffic and unsafe structures. I believe there is more to this than the reasons stated in your article.
-- Kenny Anderson
Wasilla
Allow Snowzilla or turn off lights
The city has declared war on Snowzilla because it is a public nuisance and a safety hazard. However, they promote Anchorage as the 'City of Lights' and allow an annual holiday lights competition complete with a bus tour and prizes and the addresses of the most ostentatious houses are printed in the newspaper. Some of these houses attract so much traffic that they become a public nuisance too. I think that the city should allow Snowzilla and the light displays or discontinue the annual holiday lights competition.
-- Breena Apgar-Kurtz
Anchorage
Bah Humbug on bureaucrats
Shame on Anchorage especially at this time of year. I have never in all my travels seen a town that is Bah Humbug as Anchorage. No Christmas festival, no city Christmas (or Channuka) lights, and now the slapping of a cease and desist order on a snowman?
With the dark and cold winters that face every Alaskan one would think Anchorage would love to bring some brightness into the lives of its citizens. Instead they shoot bears, and think everyone only wants to fish and run and hunt. I'll bet if the city government would stop kids from finding a place to go sledding or skating if it could. It is time to come into the 21st century Anchorage and manage not restrict things. Good Lord save us from the bureaucrats.
-- Judi Sheldon
Eagle River
Help us build a legal snowman
My kids and I wish to build a snowman. Could anyone tell us how tall we can go and what are the safe dimensions we are allowed so that I don't end up in jail and my children out on the streets?
-- Laura Kelly
Anchorage
Grinches stealing Alaska tradition
When I read the article about how the city had issued a cease and desist on Snowzilla, I was astonished. Here is a good winter tradition, and because a few people didn't like it, the whole thing has to be shut down. A public nuisance? To whom? The neighbors? What about this is that much of a nuisance that they have to get the city involved? And a safety hazard? This all seems like an excuse from several Grinches to end something that is truly Alaskan.
-- Alex Guzzwell
Eagle River
Let Snowzilla boost charities
My family and I are here from Seattle for the Christmas holiday. We make frequent trips to Anchorage and beyond. We love Alaska and Alaskans. Always have. As much as the scenery, the magnificent immensity of your great state, we love that inimitable Alaskan Figure-It-Out, Can-Do, Get-It-Done spirit. No hyperbole, here. That's how we see you.
So here's what I think you need to do about Snowzilla.
Pick a generous spot in Anchorage's gorgeous city center. Cordon it off. Each year, in early December, get Billy Powers to organize a team of civic leaders and good citizens. Let the city citizenry come and watch as they create the year's Snowzilla. Surround it with festive lighting. Put a big caldron just inside the fencing that surrounds Snowzilla, so that people can toss coins in and make a wish -- for someone else, not yourself. The money collected goes to a children's charity.
The traffic that would normally annoy Powers' neighbors would be routed downtown, churning up business and community spirit. Anchorage would have yet another spectacle and another great Alaskan tradition would be born.
Go for it, Anchorage! No place better for a Snowzilla during the holidays.
-- Steve Lorton
Seattle
Texan weighs in on Snowzilla
As a resident of Texas, I saw on AOL what your city officials did to kill the joy kids were having in building a giant snowman. We are living in hard times and with bad news coming out of the media each day; it is a pleasure to see a positive story that brings a smile to one's face. I am sure the people who ventured whatever distance to see this snowman left with a smile and wonderment and dreams of when they were kids.
What will be next, a ban on outdoors Christmas decorations because it causes a traffic problem?
This is another example of government taking away our gift of freedom.
Mr. Mayor, you could be a stand-up guy and let the kids have there day of pleasure and fun.
-- Rudy Vetter
Royse City, Texas
Scrooges showing their spirit
I think the Scrooges who made the gentleman take down his Snowzilla are worse than the Dickens villain. Just how many accidents and/or deaths were caused by gawkers? Answer: 0. A lot of mean-spirited people are in these United States.
-- William Martin
Mead, Colo.
Shame on the city
Dear City of Anchorage, Re: Snowzilla.
Shame on you!
-- Dr. Karl Hansen
Harrison, Ark.
Let kids help build it elsewhere
I was just reading the article about the city putting a stop to the giant snowman Snowzilla. Although I see their reasoning, I have a suggestion.
Since you seem to be getting a lot of tourism because of it, and the kids enjoy it, why not designate a public place in town where kids can come and build it? That way the city could control its safety and you could make it an annual event that people could enjoy.
-- Pamela Parizo
Tacoma, Wash.