The Mystery of the Snowman Slaughterer

This special-edition visual story is a tale of seven snow-sculpted figures that The Mirror observed in the afternoon of Wednesday, January 25th. Some Drury students took the day to hone their creative skills and shape an eccentric cast of snow characters all around campus.

Mysteriously, the majority of these snowmen had not only collapsed, but been reduced to ruins within hours. Could all of these sculptures really have collapsed upon themselves? More likely, malicious intent may have been involved. Some witnesses tell how they dissuaded a blue-eyed menace from demolishing their afternoon of hard work, only to have their creation seemingly bulldozed later on.

Read on to see photos of these quirky, bizarre and beautiful snow figures, some of the students behind the art and the mystery of the heartless Snowman Slaughterer.

The Protector of Jefferson Park 

Taking the prize for the buffest security officer on campus, this five-foot-tall, no-nonsense colossus clenches his fists, on guard, waiting for his moment. He seemed truly genuine, humble and proud to be a protector. Wearing quite the formal outfit, in a button-up and a stylish top hat, he always smiled at passersby but never lost focus.  We can be sure that he fought the Snowman Strangler, strong and tall, in his final moments outside the Jefferson Park apartment complex. 

Snowderland Snow Monster

Even without a face, this sturdy behemoth built on Sunderland Field shows remarkable character and embodies the spirit of teamwork. Many students worked hard together to create this mountain of magic. The last of its remains sat on Sunderland Field for at least a week to follow, resisting against the sun and some Drury sports teams.

Vanessa

This fashionable snow lady welcomes students to the Commons with an enthusiastic show of her new piercings. Her outstretched arms and scarlet eyes show us that she is powerful, she is free, she will not be contained. Even after perishing, her spirit lives on. She also seems to be impressively buff and confident, flexing even her nearly-invisible biceps. You go, girl!

Lumi

This youthful character has the most expressive eyes and noticeable freckles and stands at only a couple of feet tall. The human who built it seemed to be wearing magenta gloves, which shed dyed wool and gave their creation a subtle yet distinctive pop of color.

This character was also sitting outside the Commons, next to the eccentric snowlady. Perhaps they got to speak with each other.

Davida

Standing at about six feet tall, this dark-haired snow creature had one round section made by each person who put it together: students Natalie Morgan (left front), Zoe van Dijk (left back), Mia Harris (right back), and Mia Pelletier (right front).

As the story goes, according to Pelletier, all four ladies excitedly went outside to the snow and made giant, heavy snowballs, which they then impressively stacked on top of each other to form their creation.

This snowperson had a face on each side of its head, including chocolate chip eyes, fruit leather strips for a mouth and even a freshly-trimmed wig.

Then, while they were getting warmed up from the snow, a car pulled up, and two male figures skittishly conversed before one of them jumped out and ran up to the snowperson.

Pelletier was ready to physically defend her group’s afternoon of hard work. By confidently yelling from her window, she was able to fend off the attacker who yelled, “I just wanna KO it!” Sadly, they were not deterred for long, as the snowman was toppled, just an hour later.

The other person in the car seemed to be holding up a phone camera to record the destruction.

Sam the Snowdent-Athlete

Which Drury sports team created this goofy snowcreature? A single accessory, a traffic cone, sits atop his head. He seems to really have been enjoying the snow day, since his giant grin was clearly visible from outside the track and field complex. This new transfer student was probably grinning with glee because his workout was canceled. Dude kind of looked like he needed a rest day, anyway.

Snowfriend

After seeing all of these extravagant snow figures, The Mirror staff was inspired to construct our own. As seen here, Editor-in-Chief Rebecca Dixon adds finishing touches to the small yet mighty being.  A pickle nose, blueberry eyes and borrowed scarf brought it to life. If you look closely, you can see the open mouth that naturally formed as the head took shape. Created by creatives, this “snowfriend” was destined to be quite expressive. We even gave it a second face on the back of its head, for DSEC to enjoy from their nearby office. 

Surprisingly, our snow buddy was still standing the next day.

The Snowman Slaughterer must not have known of our remarkable abilities to document these incredible creations and immortalize them in this issue of The Mirror. They did not have the last laugh.

This article was first published as the feature spread of The Mirror’s February print edition.

Article and all photos by Gisele Ortega