By CRAIG FREILICH

MASSENA -- Lake St. Lawrence Winter Chill organizers are planning a challenge to a Guinness record by building at least 2,037 snowmen in an hour.

The Friday, Feb. 19 event will try to break the Guinness record of 2,036 snowmen built in an hour by a Japanese group in Nagano in February 2015, just a year earlier, according to event organizers.

“We’re hoping for way more than 2,037,” said Bill Lint, who is helping to organize the event.

“The Japanese had 1,400 people, so we want 1,500 to 2,000 – college kids, adults, children – we want it to be a family event,” Lint said.

Now that we have some snow in the North Country, organizers have started stockpiling snow behind the school.

It appears the snowpeople will have to be made of three parts, the traditional base, middle and head, plus two eyes, two arms and a nose, but they aren’t exactly sure what the requirements are.

“We haven’t signed a contract with Guinness yet,” so they don’t know for certain what will constitute a snowman arm.

“It looks like a stick,” Lint said after viewing photos of the Nagano event, “but we don’t want to start stockpiling thousands of sets of arms before we know.”

The contract will contain all the details, Lint said, including the provision of an adjudicator who will judge the effort.

While the record attempt is underway, people will be able to view it as they pass the school on Rt. 37, or they may view it from the John Story Trail at he school. Or better yet, they can chip in.

The Lake St. Lawrence Winter Chill in river communities from Massena to Louisville to Waddington is an attempt to capitalize on the popularity of the Bassmasters Elite fishing events held along the river here over the last few years and the annual Northern Pike Challenge ice fishing tournament.

“There are lots of places with winter festivals, but we thought we would combine several together, and create a festival that’s a destination point,” said Lint.

The entire festival will run from Feb. 13 to 21 with dozens of events planned, including sled dog races, hockey and broomball games including the Montreal Canadiens Alumni tour hockey game, the Pike Challenge, a NY State Snow Sculpting Championship, an Antique Snowmobile Show and Parade, and a Winter Chill dance, among many others.

For the record attempt, “we need two main things: snow and people,” said Lint. “We’re hoping for the right kind of snow and enough people to achieve the record.”

He said they will be contacting all the local schools for volunteers.

“How often can you say you helped set a Guinness World Record?”

Anyone who want to participate individually or organize a group to take part may contact Lint at 705-8845 or billlint42@msn.com.