Snowman 'swimmer' waits for summer

Jeff and Sarah Hartquist’s sons spent the day off from school Thursday, April 11, thinking about summer. Postponing their jobs of clearing snow from the sidewalks, Henry (back, left), Graham (in front), and Ben constructed a snowman at the corner of Kniss Avenue and Barck Street. The trio then dressed the three-tiered snowman in swim trunks, placed a beach towel around its neck and a Minnesota Gopher stocking hat on its head. They hoped the beach-themed snowman made passers-by smile as they endured the day’s blizzard conditions. By Sunday the 5-foot snowman disappeared in the upper 30-degree temperatures.