The towering snowbank in the parking lot of Eden Prairie Center has gained internet fame in the past week.
Dubbed “Mount Target” by some and “Mount Eden Prairie” by others, it has become a popular spot for visitors to take photos. Even the Eden Prairie Police joined the fun by posting a photo of a squad car in front of the snowbank on Monday with the message “Happy first day of spring from Mount Eden Prairie.”
One image, in particular, has captured the attention of social media users: a Target shopping cart perched atop a massive snowbank. The photo has gone viral on Reddit and other platforms, symbolizing the Twin Cities’ long winter.
Becky Allen, a technical writer in the cybersecurity industry and resident of Golden Valley, was among those inspired by the snowbank crowned with a shopping cart. It prompted her to start painting again after a year-long break from the hobby.
“I had a good laugh,” she recalled. “I got inspired to try and paint it when I got home.”
Allen created a watercolor painting titled “King of the Mountain Shopping Cart — Eden Prairie Target March 2023,” which has received positive feedback.
“I wasn’t expecting the amount of attention it got,” she said, noting that it took her about an hour to draw, including sketching it out beforehand. “It’s not a very finished painting. It’s more of a sketch or a doodle. I didn’t put a ton of effort into it.”
Nevertheless, the painting struck a chord with those amused by the snowbank and the shopping cart perched atop it. MPR even featured her in a story on Tuesday, with the headline “Woman paints homage to ‘Mount Target,’ the infamous Eden Prairie snowbank.”
On Wednesday, Nancy Litwin, the general manager of Eden Prairie Center, commented on the recent attention the snowbank has been receiving, saying, “The photo going viral is so Minnesota!”
Litwin said the snowbank is one of several locations where the center stores snow “when we remove snow and ice from our parking lots.” The process, she added, is carried out by a professional third-party snow and ice removal contractor.
“For safety reasons, we discourage people from climbing or using the hill in any way,” she said.
While it’s hard to predict how long the snowbank will continue to be a viral sensation, it will probably be a while before it completely melts.
“I’m sure it will still be there by May,” Allen said.
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