Family builds Steelers snowmen in Cranberry Township while visiting from Hong Kong
Days after the Pittsburgh Steelers edged out the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, Jan. 4, to clinch the AFC North title, four snowmen in Cranberry Township celebrated into the week.
Three generations of the Muir family built the snowmen outside the home of Dave and Keri Muir on Valley Forge Drive in Freedom Woods. Their grandchildren, Gavin, 14, and Elijah, 11, had the idea to build the snowmen, according to their father, Ryan Muir.
Muir and his wife, Jen, are teachers at an international school in Hong Kong. The family was visiting the grandparents during Christmas break and will return to Hong Kong on Thursday. They built the snowmen on Monday.
“Being that Hong Kong has a subtropical climate, our boys were hoping and praying that we’d have snow this Christmas break, and they were not disappointed,” Ryan Muir said.
He said the building process quickly turned from one snowman to a family of snowmen, and still “elated” from the Steelers victory, the family made it Steelers-themed using Ryan Muir’s old jerseys, terrible towels, a Steelers flag he had hung on his wall in college, a football and a hat.
“As my kids are growing abroad, I have been sure to pass along a love of all things Pittsburgh sports from a young age,” Muir said. “We avoid online activities every Monday so we can watch a replay of the game Monday nights and pretend it’s live, often with other Steelers fans that we have met.”
He added Elijah proudly calls himself a “Yinzer.” The family also received honks, smiles, thumbs-ups and comments from walkers as they passed. Multiple people also stopped to take photos of the snowmen.
The last Steelers game the family attended was two years ago when they watched Mason Rudolph lead the team to victory in the final game of the season.
“The enthusiasm and warmth we experienced from our neighbors was a fun and surprising memory we will forever have,” Ryan Muir said.
