Traffic heading west out of Blumenort has been slower lately due to a new roadside attraction: a frozen Nativity scene.

Owner of PFP Sales Howard Plett says he and a group of coworkers, friends, and family have spent around 80 hours over the past few weeks carving blocks of ice from his gravel pit and cutting them into the shapes of cattle, shepherds, and the manger itself.

According to Plett, the blocks are removed from the ice and positioned in view of Provincial Road 311 using a skid-steer.  After they are re-frozen in place, Plett says his sister comes by and paints on the outlines of various nativity characters that can then be cut out with a chainsaw. Each sculpture measures around 11 inches thick and ranges from 3 to 7 feet in height. 

When every statue was complete, Plett hooked up a network of colored LED lights to illuminate the scene at night.