CUBA, N.Y. (WKBW) — Love is in the air down in Cuba, but you better get down there fast before it melts.
“Typically I hate the winter, but this has made it fun,” professional caricature artist and carver Eric Jones said.
Jones is from West Clarksville and a few weeks ago, his 8 foot snow sculpture of Bills quarterback Josh Allen went viral.
“I didn’t expect that,”he said.
Jones said his sculpture brought in hundreds of people to Cuba, and while they were there for Josh Allen, they were staying for the local restaurants and shops.
“Well the last couple carvings have actually been great for the local commerce," he said. "The local businesses have done well with the traffic, so that’s been a bonus that I didn’t even anticipate.”
Since his sculptures continue to bring traffic to the area, Eric is using his carvings to give back. With every sculpture he makes, he will raise money for a different charity.
His most recent sculptures raised money for Kaely's Kindness Foundation, a local organization that provides resources for teens living with cancer.
“It’s incredible. I feel like it gives me some purpose with my ability to be able to give back to the community and give to charities,” Jones said.
Visitors can donate on site, at the Cuba Block Barn or through Eric Jone’s Facebook page. And he said as long as there is snow in Cuba, you'll find his snow carvings.
“I'm actually excited about it staying cold so the sculptures are preserved, and I'm looking forward to snow so we can pile more and build more things," he said.
Eric’s latest carvings are valentines themed, but he already planning his next big sculpture.
"It's gonna be huge," he said.
