Councilmember Vernikov holds snowman contest for district following blizzard

They weathered the storm by having some fun.

Following the blizzard that saw parts of Brooklyn get up to 22 inches of snow on Feb. 23, Councilmember Inna Vernikov held a snowman building contest for residents of District 48.

The district covers parts of Gravesend, Brighton Beach, Midwood, Homecrest, Madison, Sheepshead Bay, Manhattan Beach, and Gerritsen Beach. 

Two winners received free pizza pies from Lucia New York, 2201 Avenue X, and Yossi’s Kosher Pizza, 902 Kings Hwy.

Contestants posted photos of their creations on the Vernikov’s Facebook page and the two with the most likes were winners. 

The top vote getters were Anna Bronfman and Ekaterina Valeeva.

“The blizzard hit our community hard, bringing roughly 20 inches of snow, and we wanted to lift spirits across the districts,” Vernikov said. “We thought a snowman competition would encourage our constituents to step outside, unplug, and spend time with loved ones doing a classic snow day activity.

“We’re grateful to Yossi’s Pizza and Lucia’s for generously providing our winners with free Pizza pies. We encourage everyone to support these fantastic local establishments and continue patronizing our local small businesses.”

Bronfman sent a photo of their snowmen to her friends during a WhatsApp chat, and one of them suggested she enter the contest

“Our family loves snow, and this winter did not disappoint,” Bronfman said. “Of course, cleanup after a storm is a big headache but then we get to be creative. The chairs in our front yard were fully covered with snow, so we had an idea to shape them into snowmen, but not just any snowmen, ours were dreaming of a warm summer evening. So, we gave one a bottle of cool beer, and the other was enjoying a newspaper while wearing shades. We definitely did not expect to win.

My son loves pizza.”