Reprinted with permission of
the Journal-News
By Richard O Jones
It’s time once again for the chills and thrills of Ice Fest.
“When you combine chain saws, ice and art, you come up with a not-miss event,”
said Trudy Marcum, president of City of Sculpture, organizers of the festival.
“We’re probably the only people in the world who look forward to frigid
temperatures for our event.” Ice
sculptors will carve over two tons of ice for fun and for competition during
the two-day event, Friday and Saturday in various locations in downtown
Hamilton. During the event, visitors can avail themselves of a variety of
family-friendly events.
This year’s IceFest will feature a special appearance by
Junichi Nakamura, world and Olympic ice-sculpting champion from Obihiro, Japan.
In Japan, he is a farmer, but his 22 years of ice art have taken him around the
world.
“I balance my summers between managing my farmhouse and
designing and creating images of ice sculptures, while in the winters I focus
on making the sculptures themselves,” Nakamura said. Nakamura will create a
freestyle sculpture from eight blocks of ice to be place at One Renaissance
Center in downtown Hamilton. He also will perform a two-block demonstration on
Friday afternoon at the Butler County Courthouse. “He usually doesn’t participate in events this small,” said Jeff
Stahl, owner of Artic Diamond. “But he happened to be passing through at the
right time, so we have him for a week. He usually works in monstrous
proportions, very elegant, detailed and meticulous work.”
The majority of events take place around the Butler County
Courthouse and at Journal Square, but the kick-off will be the Fire and Ice
Lodge at the Hamiltonian Hotel. Providing all the amenities of a full-service
lodge in the hotel’s grand ballroom, the affair, sponsored by Fifth Third Bank,
offers an opportunity to mingle throughout the evening, according to event
coordinator Debbie Cisle. “Luminaries light the way between the lodge and the
Courthouse to view the spectacular light-enhanced ice sculptures sponsored by
local businesses. Scents of burning wood and pine trees will lure you to the
“Fire and Ice Lodge,” Cisle said. “Fire
and Ice: A Unique Community Gala” takes place from 6:30 to 11:30 p.m. Friday.
Admission is $20 and includes soup and sandwiches, desserts, hot cocoa and
cider, cash bar and door prizes. Dress is casual. The Fire and Ice Lodge also
serves as a prelude to the Technicolor Ice Walk at 8 p.m., which will feature
more than 100 ice sculptures illuminated with colored lights.
“This year’s theme has been chosen as ‘Around the World in
Ice,” Marcum said. In addition to a 136-block “Wall of Honor,” sculptors will
create ice models of the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty, Big Ben, the
Sidney Opera House and other international landmarks.
A new event this year will be the Great Miami Valley YMCA
Sled Race, loosely modeled on the famous Iditarod dog-sled competition. “The
main difference is that there are no real dogs,” said event coordinator Dave Schirmer.
Teams consisting of five “dogs” — human pullers and riders —
will travel in home-made sleds through a course set in downtown Hamilton, “Each
team makes several mandatory stops and performs certain tasks at each stop,
such as eating a Klondike bar, drinking hot chocolate or taking a rest stop
that does not begin until all ‘dogs’ are still,” he said. The race begins
3 p.m. Saturday at the YMCA on Second Street.
The Lane Library and the Fitton Center for Creative Arts
have joined forces for a new event geared toward children — IceCubeFest. At 10
a.m. Saturday at the Fitton Center, children will have the opportunity to read
and look through books about winter, snow and ice, listen to music and take
part in ice-related activities and demonstrations, such as making ice cream and
cutting ice with a thread.
For the second year, local shutterbugs can participate in the Amateur Photo Contest. Cash prizes totaling $500 are offered. A special best black and white photo of show is awarded in memory of Dr. Edward Kezur, in recognition of his dedication, expertise and support of photography as an art form. Entries must be submitted by Feb. 16 to the Fitton Center along with a completed entry form. Winners will be announced Feb. 20