Now that the Saints are World Champions and hell has officially frozen over, it seemed like a great time to do some ice sculpting! And what better place than at the World Ice Art Championships in Fairbanks, Alaska, where the first statue of Louisiana’s favorite number nine would stay around a while! Ice sculptor Dawson List spent four days creating “Cool Brees,” a nine foot tall ice version of New Orleans’ favorite quarterback! The Cool Brees project is about doing amazing things that people didn’t think could be done, and giving back at the same time. The World Champion New Orleans Saints have done just that and they are the inspiration for this very cool work of appreciation! Who Dat!
The Project is supported by some fantastic Louisiana businesses:
Zuppardo’s Family Supermarket, Metairie
Mansurs on the Boulevard, Baton Rouge
French Market Bistro, Baton Rouge
and by Ice Alaska, the volunteer organization that has put on the World Ice Art Championships for the last 20 years. (By supporting this idea, I think the volunteers of Ice Alaska have earned membership in the WhoDat Nation, don’t you think?) The World Ice Art Championships has become the premier ice sculpting competition in the world and sculptures in the multi-block competition are regularly over 20 feet tall! (and sometimes over 30!)
A large portion of the money raised to fund this project ($2000 so far) was donated to the Brees Dream Foundation.* The sponsors of this project are all in favor of attaching their names to a fantastic larger than life ice sculpture of New Orleans’ MVP quarterback, but more important than that, they know that a good portion of their money will go to a good cause and find its way to some who really need it!
Second, it’s about doing something amazing, something that many wouldn’t think could be done. A month after the Saints earned New Orleans’ first world championship, there’s a finished statue to commemorate their victory. Sure, it’s going to melt after a few weeks, but hopefully not before a lot of people get to see it and take photos. The sculpture is nine feet tall, a little taller than Mr. Brees himself, which seems rather appropriate because he’s lately become a larger than life figure just about everywhere!
Now we know the WhoDat Nation has become a worldwide thing, but the Cool Brees Project also was looking for how many Who Dats there are in Fairbanks in the month of March, which is quite a ways from the Superdome and the French Quarter! During carving, sculptor Dawson List heard “Who Dat!” a bunch, especially after the fleur-de-lis and Drew’s number nine was added!
Now that the Ice Park is closed, the webcam is now down and shows a blank image, but the original webcam (also inactive) at least shows a still image.
*The Cool Brees Project, ice dragon ice sculptures, and Dawson List are not endorsed by or affiliated with the Brees Dream Foundation, the NFL, or the New Orleans Saints.
site updated 3/29/10
