A giant snowman is spreading a lot of joy in Timmins.
On a cold winter morning, people of all ages took the drive out to Carrigan Meadows to check out Rollly, a 45-foot snowman who weighs in at 165 tons. By yesterday, over 100 people had already met the giant snowman built by Michel Campeau over the last 2.5 months.
“The more the merrier. Come out, take pictures,” said Monique Campeau
With Monique loving snowmen and his grandchildren bugging Michel for another one, Rolly came to be.
"Everybody in Canada likes snowmen ‘cause he’s got a smile," said Michel, pointing to Rolly, "you’ve got a smile, everybody has a smile when they come here."
“And they leave with a smile,” added Monique.
People who stop by Carrigan Meadows located at 688 Carrigan Rd. are encouraged to bring a non-perishable food donation or cash for food banks in the region.
The Campeaus are marking down where people visit from so that the donations can benefit the organizations in those communities. They noted there are food banks in Timmins, South Porcupine, Matheson, Iroquois Falls and Cochrane.
Rolly is named after Michel's dad, who's battling cancer and has had some strokes.
"He has a heart of gold and so does he," said Monique, patting Michel on the chest.
While there was a short time period for people to see the snowman last year, the Campeaus don't expect Rolly to melt anytime soon.
Over the years, Michel's snowmen have been growing.
Three years ago, they had a 19-foot one. Last year, a 25-foot snowman next to their garage attracted about 3,800 people over two weeks.
If you want to take in the site, it may be the last year you can see it at Carrigan Meadows.
“It was always my goal to make a big one and now that I’ve reached my goal of 45-feet, I’m retired,” he said.
“There won’t be another one unless somebody wants to do it, not me."
People stopping by are asked not to park on the road for safety reasons. On the weekends, there will be a marked entrance and exit on the driveway.
While Rolly is huge, the Guinness World Record is a 122.2-foot snowman that was built in 2008 in Bethel, Maine, in the United States.
