Workers constructing the snow sculpture say the 30-foot knight will be finished in time for Winter Carnival, although rain forecast for Wednesday night could undermine their efforts.
The sculpture will depict a knight fighting a dragon, in the tradition of England's Saint George. The sculpture includes a 15-foot long, 20-foot tall horse.
Temperatures will rise through Wednesday, and snow will change to rain Wednesday night, according to Weather Services Corporation Meteorologist Mike Wagner.
"If it rains Wednesday night, it is pretty much out of our hands," said Chris Aslin '97, co-chair of the sculpture committee.
Kim Papa '97, who was working on the sculpture until after midnight last night, stressed the importance of remaining positive.
"It won't rain," she said. "It won't rain."
Progress on the sculpture was hindered by warm temperatures over the weekend. "We didn't get as much done as we had hoped," Aslin said.
But sculpture workers say they are on pace with recent years' progress.
"This is last minute, but not anymore last minute than usual," Aslin said. "This week people will start to realize the sculpture needs work and they will come out to help."
Work on the sculpture will take place Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons, all night Wednesday and be finished on Thursday for the Carnival opening ceremonies that night. Aslin said the construction is being done mainly by "15 to 20 people who come out regularly."
The sculpture is being built in the same frame style used in recent years. The committee built a wooden frame during the first week of Winter term and erected it the next week.
Volunteers are now packing snow onto burlap nailed to the frame. For the first time in recent years, all the snow used for the sculpture will come directly from the Green. In 1995 and 1996, extra snow was trucked in to compensate for a lack of natural snow.
