Feb. 14: In what appears to be a sign of intelligence, Snow Mountain has formed a grayish protective shell in anticipation of this week’s warmer temperatures.Photos by EVAN O’Brien/Staff
Feb. 15: Conditions look ripe for this weekend’s Battle of Hoth reenactment.
March 18: Spring is on its way and if even a single sprout pops up in this lot, NASA can rest assured knowing life can be found in even the harshest environments.
March 23: This is what fossilized snow looks like.
April 1: Sorry, folks. In a spot of bad luck, a vortex to another dimension has inconveniently materialized at the former site of the snow mound, unleashing the nefarious, inter-dimensional being, Cthulhu. We have no other choice but to cancel the Big Melt contest. At the risk of editorializing, OakPark.com and Wednesday Journal endorse Cthulhu as our new overlord and humbly submit to his bidding.
On Feb. 1, Oak Park and River Forest witnessed a snow storm of epic proportions, depositing more than 20 inches of snow in the Chicagoland area. Oak Park Public Works crews quickly turned the vacant lot at the corner of Lake and Forest into a dumping ground for the excess snow, forming a virtual mountain range named the “Oak Park Alps.”
At the suggestion of a devoted reader, OakPark.com challenged readers to predict when the snow mound would completely melt away.
Wednesday Journal’s online content manager, Evan O’Brien, was tasked with a daily report on the condition of the snow mound and provided photos taken from the summit.
The fateful day — when the last patch of debris-encrusted ice evaporated — came on April 6, setting the Oak Park Alp’s existence at just over two months.
View the entire photo series at OakPark.com/BigMelt.
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