Discover Teton Valley

Weather

News

Menu

Discover Teton Valley

Weather

News

Menu

11th Annual Driggs Snowscapes presented by Downtown Driggs Association in Partnership with Grand Targhee

Published March 27, 2023

Written by Lisa Simmons, Executive Director of Downtown Driggs Association. For information, contact Simmons at lisa@downtowndriggs.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Driggs, Idaho – January 6, 2023- The Downtown Driggs Association is excited to announce plans for the 11th Annual

Driggs Snowscapes: The Art of Sculpting Snow. This must-see public art experience highlights the beauty of winter

with large-scale snow sculptures on Driggs City Plaza, 60 South Main Street. Active sculpting days on the Plaza are

January 16-20th.

Tuesday, January 10th marks the advent of Snowscapes as Mills Concrete, Driggs Public Works, and Avail Valley

Construction work to build 9 large concrete forms and fill them with more than 30 tons of snow harvested from

Tributary’s unplowed roads. Starting Jan. 16 at 9:00 am until the final bell on Jan. 20 at 10pm, 25 professional snow

sculptors from Wyoming, Idaho, and Washington will transform the plaza into an ephemeral, awe-inspiring,

monumental art installation. A team of high student sculptors from South Fremont High School in St. Anthony, and

two teams from Driggs Middle School represent the new generation of snow sculptors who will create smaller

exhibit style sculptures that will not be part of the juried competition. Professional local sculptors Tye Tilt and Doug

Cassidy visited classrooms at both schools to teach students what it takes to sculpt outdoors using snow as a

medium. A Driggs Snowscapes Community Block Party and Awards Ceremony will take place outdoors at Driggs

Plaza from 9am-4pm.

As a nod to Grand Targhee Resort, Snowscapes’ title sponsor, this year’s sculpture theme is Winter Sports. Targhee

is working with Team Wyoming, from Laramie, and local sculptors Tilt and Cassidy, to construct a Snowscapes

satellite sculpture onsite at Grand Targhee Resort. This special installation will take shape from January 9-11th at The

Ghee. We are grateful to Mills Concrete for constructing the concrete sculpture form at Targhee in addition to the

forms at Driggs Plaza, going above and beyond as partners for this beloved community event.

Free educational programming for students from ABC Aftercare Program, The Learning Academy, Mountain

Academy, and Makerspace at Valley of the Tetons Library, will be offered at Driggs Plaza on Thursday, Jan. 18 and

Friday, January 20th. More than 70 students will learn from NOLS educators about snow science and why snow is so

important to Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem health. Students will also experience live demonstrations from

professional sculptors while they make miniature sculptures of their own, and cooperatively build a snow mural on

Driggs Plaza that celebrates winter in the Tetons. NOLS will construct a large snow slide for kids to enjoy with their

families as they visit Driggs Plaza for sculpting days and the Driggs Snowscapes Community Block Party. A group from

Seniors West of the Tetons will also be offered demos and a tour of the event.

Students from Makerspace at Valley of the Tetons Library will create beautiful luminaries that they will install

around the sculptures at Driggs Plaza during sculpting week. They will also install ice lanterns created from frozen

balloon forms in Mugler Plaza, across from Teton Thai, during Snowscapes.

A Driggs Snowscapes Community Block Party will take place on Saturday, January 21st from 9am-4pm at Driggs Plaza.

This event will feature a NEW Quick Sculpt Competition from 1-2pm that involves up to 10 artists carving 4 ft tall

snow blocks into any design of their choosing. Individual artists will have only one hour to complete their sculpture

as the crowd watches. A $300 cash prize will be awarded to the winner of this event that will be judged by Bonnie

Self, Executive Director of Community Foundation of Teton Valley. The main event juried competition awards

ceremony takes place at 2:30pm during which teams will be presented with cash awards for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place as

well as awards for People’s and Kids Choice, determined by public votes collected throughout the day. Attendees

will also enjoy snow-inspired games for kids, local artisan booths and kids art-making stations inside the Geo Center,

an interactive snow mural, a large snow slide, and non-profit and business sponsor booths with hot chocolate and

cookies.

The Annual SNOW BALL follows the awards ceremony from 6:30-10pm at West Side Yard in Victor. Advance sale $25

tickets may be purchased online through Jan 20th. $30 tickets at the door if the event doesn’t sell out in advance.

Purchase Snow Ball tickets online at www.downtowndriggs.org.

Snow Ball offerings include live music by local Dixieland Band Jackson 6, savory appetizers and dessert buffet, cash

bar with a Snow Ball signature cocktail from Grand Teton Distillery, a greenscreen Snowscapes photo booth, outdoor

space activated with fire pits, games and a heated school bus serving cocktails, glow in the dark activity booth and

raffle items to benefit Downtown Driggs Association. Costumes and extravagant attire encouraged. There will be an

award for best dressed!

Snow Ball ticket holders receive free transportation on Targhee’s Teton Valley Bus Service from the Driggs Transit

Center to the Victor Depot on the night of the event, Jan. 21st. The 6:20pm bus at the Driggs Transit Center will get

partygoers to Snow Ball around 6:35pm. Check out the Teton Valley Bus Service schedule online for pick-up and

drop-off times throughout the night.

The 11th Annual Driggs Snowscapes is one of many free arts programs hosted by the Downtown Driggs Association

and supported by grants from the Idaho Commission on the Arts, Idaho Travel Council, Teton Regional Economic

Coalition and the City of Driggs, along with Title Business Sponsors Grand Targhee Resort, Mills Concrete, and West

Side Yard and Headliner Business Sponsors Teton Valley Health, Renewal by Andersen, Peaked Sports and Idaho

Central Credit Union.

Crucial local support local business and restaurants and many wonderful volunteers all help make this event a winter

favorite! Downtown Driggs Association’s Year-End Campaign through January 31st helps makes programs like Driggs

Snowscapes possible. Donate today at www.downtowndriggs.org.

For more information visit www.downtowndriggs.org.

Geo Center Charts Its Own Course