Ice castle’s chilly reign ends

The iconic Eagle River ice castle’s chilly reign has come to an end as the Eagle River Fire
Department took it down Monday afternoon ahead of higher temperatures forecasted for later
this week.
The castle was initially slated to be taken down on March 1. The Eagle River Fire Department,
responsible for the building and deconstruction of the castle, encourages people to share their

favorite photos of the ice castle on social media.
This is the first time the castle has been erected in Eagle River in four years, with construction
starting in early January of this year. The process spanned over about 5 days.
The process started when the Eagle River Fire Department and dozens of volunteers cut blocks
of ice from Silver Lake before constructing the castle at the historic railroad depot near
downtown Eagle River.
The ice was cut using a special machine on Silver Lake, just a mile from downtown Eagle River.
Firefighters and volunteers then moved the ice via a conveyor belt into awaiting pickup trucks.
The ice was hauled to the depot parking lot where more volunteers use special shavers to trim
ice into 13-inch, 90-pound blocks.
The ice castle tradition has been an Eagle River staple since the 1920s.
Commemorative snow globes
To commemorate the ice castle, the Eagle River Fire Department is now selling limited edition
2025 Eagle River Fire Department Snow Globes for $75 each. The snow globes have 2D
renderings of the ice castle inside.
The snow globes are approximately 4 inches in diameter and hold a blue LED light.
The department says that the snowglobes are still in the early stages of production and are
anticipated to arrive in October, 2025.
Those who order one will be contacted via the email address they provide on the order form
when the snow globes are ready to be picked up. When ready, the snow globes can be picked
up from the Eagle River Fire Station. The department is also offering a shipping option for an
additional charge.
To order a snow globe, visit https://shorturl.at/RNz6P.
For more information, on both orders and up-to-date ice castle information, visit the Eagle River
Fire Department Facebook page at http://facebook.com/EagleRiverAreaFireDepartment.                       By Josephine Hinderman
        News Editor