MOORHEAD, MN (Valley News Live) – It’s week three of Frostival, and the Viking Ship Park ice sculptures are due for judging tomorrow.

This year’s theme is fantasy and folklore.

“I just do the final details like dusting and sculpting. I’m like an archaeologist,” says sculptor Jay Ray.

One chose to carve a dragon, another chose bigfoot, and this group chose a deity.

“It is also said that he produces beer for the gods. He is reported to have a magical cauldron that produces an endless amount of beer,” says another contest sculptor, Mike Nelson.

They worked long, cold hours to prepare their masterpieces for tomorrow’s competition.

“I carve wood with a chainsaw for a living. It’s something familiar but different,” says sculptor Scott Petry.

Wind and snow are not always easy to manage.

“At the moment all I want to do is give him eyes and nostrils. All I want to do is give the wolf some eyes on this wolf. But I’ll wait until just before the competition tomorrow. That’s the hardest part: layoffs,” says Petry.

“You have a big piece of snow and you need to find the object in it. It’s all about deciding where you have that first point. Once you have that first point, you can build on it,” says Nelson.

“Well, you want to push the limits of material removal, but it also has to sustain itself,” says Ray.

The sculptures will eventually melt, but these artists say the hard work is worth it.

“It’s kind of me having a good time here,” Petry says.

“You just have to work on a larger than life scale. It’s something you’re not used to doing as an artist,” Nelson explains.

“The process is fun. It’s fun to see it when it’s done, but I have fun hiding it every day in great detail,” says Ray.

Their work is not yet finished.

Some of the competitors will be heading out to join forces at the National Snow Sculpting Competition in Wisconsin next week.

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