Mild winter forces ice palace cancellation

EAGLE RIVER, Wis. (AP) - A mild winter has forced organizers to cancel construction on a popular ice palace in northern Wisconsin.

The Eagle River Ice Palace is usually built between Christmas and New Year's. However, there have not been enough cold nights to thicken the ice on Silver Lake.

WSAW-TV reports that according to the Eagle River Chamber of Commerce's Facebook page, the lake ice needs to be 14 inches thick to cut blocks. But since the ice is only 9 inches, the ice palace has been canceled.

The Eagle River Ice Palace has been a tradition - weather permitting - for more than 80 years. It usually stands 20 feet tall.

Volunteers harvest the ice from nearby Silver Lake, then haul the blocks downtown, where the castle is put together.