Tallest snowwoman-world record set by Bethel residents

[March 1]BETHEL, Maine, US--The world's tallest snowman, which is actually a snowwoman, is being unveiled in the western Maine town of Bethel.Olympia Snowe-woman has wreaths as eyes, skis for eyelashes, trees for arms and 5-foot tires as buttons. She’s 122 feet and 1 inch tall – a new world record.   

   Photo:'Olympia,' the giant snowman, towers over the town and can be seen from miles away in Bethel, Maine./AP

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   Olympia's creators say she has eyelashes made from skis and bright red lips crafted from painted tires. She wears a giant pink hat and gets some bling from a snowflake pendant that's more than six feet in diameter. Her arms were created from pine trees.   

  To get an idea of scale, Olympia is about 30 feet shorter than the Statue of Liberty (without the base). Her arms consist of 27-foot-tall evergreens. Her "carrot" nose, painted by schoolchildren, is 8 feet long. Her eyes are made from giant wreaths.

    Photo:Olympia has eyelashes made from skis and bright red lips crafted from painted tires./ ByPat Wellenbach, AP
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   "Olympia," named for Maine's senior senator, Olympia Snowe, stands nearly 10 feet taller than "Angus, King of the Mountain," who was dedicated by the town in 1999.

 That snowman, named for then-Gov. Angus King, was created by the same folks responsible for Olympia. Although the snowwoman's namesake was unable to attend Friday's dedication because of her duties in Washington, a statement was read to the crowd. "I've joked that it's just my luck I'd have a world record-breaking monument named after me — and it will be gone by summer," the senator said.

   This ski town of about 2,400 residents already holds the record for tallest snowman, dedicated in 1999. Since then, they have been waiting for someone else to break the record. When no one rose to the challenge, the folks here decided they'd have to break the record themselves.

  Here's a list of the specifications for the snowwoman, who's being called "Olympia SnowWoman" in honor of Maine's senior senator:
   • Height: 122'1";
   • Weight: 13,000,000 lbs. of snow;
   • 5 foot wreaths for eyes;
   • 16 skis for eyelashes;
   • “Carrot” nose made of muslin, chicken wire & wood frame by the MSAD #44 elementary school children;
   • 5 red auto tires for lips, painted by the Mahoosuc Kids Association;
   • 48 ft. circumference fleece hat made by the Mt. Valley Middle School students;
   • 130 ft. scarf;
   • 6 1/2 ft. Maine-mica snowflake pendant created by Jim Mann of Mt. Mann Jewelers;
   • 30 ft. spruce trees for arms;
   • 3 truck-loader tires for buttons;
   • 2,000 ft. of rope hair!

  This ice princess will be around for a while; she isn’t expected to melt until May.

   
  
   Links: Tallest Snowman webcam ; SnowWoman WebLog

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