Snowzilla was quite an attraction in Anchorage  with people waiting in line to get a picture with the colossus snowman. Unfortunately, Snowzilla is no longer with us and Anchorage must say bye-bye to our unofficial attraction.

In 2005, Mr. Billy Powers did what many people like to do when the snow falls, he built a snowman. The large snowman did what many snowmen do when it warms up after a snowfall, he began to melt.

Mr. Powers rebuilt his snowman which grew and grew and grew! The project soon became a family project and then the neighborhood began to help, too. The result was an enormous 16' snowman that somehow got dubbed "Snowzilla". The giant snowman's traditional corn cob pipe was made from manila evelopes. Glass bottles made the buttons and a collapsible hamper made the perfect top hat.

Snowzilla reminds me of the "build it and they will come" statement in the movie, "Field of Dreams". Billy Powers built the snowman for his own pleasure, but "they" came from all over Anchorage and the world (Snowzilla drew attention of the international media) to see the giant snowman.

Unfortunately, there is always a sad ending to snowmen. The sun always melts them away. In Snowzilla's case, it was the City of Anchorage that was his demise. After three years of bringing fun and joy to his visitors, it seems Snowzilla violated some code in the Municipality of Anchorage , so he was bulldozed down.

You may not be able to see Snowzilla any longer, but you can still see many beautifully decorated homes in Anchorage . Use this Holiday Lights interactive map to map out a tour. A tour of the homes are decorated for your enjoyment and can be a really fun-filled evening for a Christmas Eve or Christmas Night activity. Turn your radio to your favorite stations, grab your iPod or pop in a Christmas CD in the CD player in your car. Take along a thermos of hot chocolate and enjoy!

Have a very Merry Christmas everyone!

Pauline