Weekend Snowfall Brings Return Of Massapequa Park Snowman

MASSAPEQUA PARK, NY — The two-year snow drought ended with the recent accumulation of four inches.

It was more than enough for Massapequa Park homeowner Mike Fregoe to bring back his snowman last weekend, which has become a seasonal favorite in the neighborhood.

"It took about two and a half hours, believe it or not," Fregoe told Patch. "You just kind of shovel it around and have fun packing it out."

He said the process started by filling up the recycling bin at 52 Smith St.

Fregoe has been gathering snow to sculpt the figurine each year, as the weather allows. But that's only half the fun. He has worked on keeping the snowman, well, a snowman for as long as possible, away from rain and warm temperatures. Those are, obviously, earmarks for a melting snowman. Sorry, Frosty!

However, Mother Nature was on the snowman's side in the past.

"It made it to Mets/Yankees Opening Day, one year," he said.

In seasons with blizzards, people wouldn't just stop by to take pictures, there were people "donating" snow from as far away as New Hampshire to keep the snowman alive and well even longer.

While Fregoe has taken snow from others to help forfeit his snowman, each one of his "creations" comes from its previous version, so to speak.

"I take a chunk of that off, I call it the snowman's heart, and I put it in the middle of the snowman," Fregoe said. "So this snowman actually has snow from nine years ago."