Reprinted with permission of
the Journal-News
1-25-2004
By Jaclyn Giovis
HAMILTON — The streets of downtown Hamilton were alive with
action Saturday as thousands of people crowded around glistening tributes to
some of the world’s greatest works of art — The Statue of Liberty, Eiffel Tower
and Big Ben.
“It has been fantastic,” said Trudy Marcum, chairman of
IceFest and president of City of Sculpture. “The streets are packed. All the
restaurants downtown love us because they’re so busy. The carvers are having a
ball.”
About 100 sculptures stood in frosted rows along Hamilton’s High
Street for the third annual IceFest and attracted a record 20,000 people
between Friday night and Saturday.
“This is awesome,” said Katie Atkinson, 9, of West Chester Township.
“You get to play games and you get to see cool ice stuff.”
Organized by the City of Sculpture, the theme of the two-day
event was “Around the World in Ice.” Highlights included an ice-carving
competition that featured more than a dozen professional ice sculptors from
around the nation and Canada, speed-carving demonstrations, ice skating and
children’s activities at Journal Square, as well as a human dog-sled race.
The goal of IceFest is to raise money for new sculptures to
be displayed in Hamilton and to continue Hamilton’s legacy as the “City of
Sculpture,” said Patti Froelke, IceFest sponsorship chair. “We’ve done really
well this year,” Froelke said, noting that each year the festival garners more
public interest and activities than the previous year. “People are coming from
everywhere — Dayton, Columbus, Cincinnati,” she said. “We had 40 more
sculptures here than we did last year. And there are about 20 people who want
to participate next year.”
Brian Ruby of Oxford, who brought his wife and two children
to the festival, said, “It’s just nice that Hamilton is bringing nice things
for families to do together. We’re already looking forward to coming next
year.” Local restaurants were brimming
with patrons seeking steamy comfort foods, hot chocolate and shelter from the
frigid temperatures and sharp winds. Among them were Hamilton residents Ruby
Truett, Paula Hedgepeth and Carolyn Garnett, who admired the sculptures and
then took shelter at Cappuccino Depot for a sweet java warm-up. “There’s
usually nothing to do in the winter,” said Hedgepeth, who suggested the group
attend IceFest. “This is an activity to do to get people together.” “We’re
having a ball,” said Truett, who has attended every year. “It gets better and
bigger every year. It’s amazing what they can do with a block of ice.” “They ought to keep this up every year,
because it’s just great for downtown,” Garnett chimed in.
Jim Waag and his wife, Cathy, made the drive from Miamisburg to attend the event. The couple said the trip was worth it and they hope to attend next year. “There’s a lot of really cool sculptures,” Waag said. “It’s amazing how detailed some of these things are.”