We arrived in Chambersburg just after 10:00 while the temperatures were still at the freezing mark. It was a good day to tour the IceFest in downtown Chambersburg, PA. . . .
These fellows were setting up another ice sculpture. It was interesting to watch them cut the blocks of ice with a chain saw, drag it over to the pedestal and "glue" it to the base using water. We did not stay to see them actually carve the ice because we were freezing ourselves!
These fellows go from town to town doing these ice sculptures. . . .
Here are just a few of the ones stationed along the five blocks we walked up and back down. . . .
About half way we started going into shops just to warm up! But we did find several things to buy along the way. . . .
If you look closely in the window you can see the ladies inside this artisan shop while getting a view of the buildings behind me. . . .
We came upon several second hand shops offering all kinds of bargains. . . .
The throne, which is lit up at night, was situated at the square in the center of town for photo ops. . .
It was nearing noon by the time we finished the circuit. It was evident that the sun and climbing temperature was taking its toll on the sculptures. . . .
This mosaic was one of two we saw on the sides of buildings. . . .
We ended our excursion at the Copper Kettle restaurant where we discussed our plans for next month and got caught up on what's been happening near and far. . . .
Does your town have an IceFest?
No our town doesn't. We are too far south for that. Very pretty pieces in Chambersburg look like crystal. I especially like the heart. ♥
ReplyDeleteThis winter you probably could have had one!
DeleteNice experience for you all! The only ice sculptures we've seen were when we took a cruise to the Bahamas years ago. Here in the sunny South of Florida we have sand sculptures!! I enjoyed seeing your tour. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI hear that some of the ice sculptures topped over on Saturday because it was too warm! I've see a few sand sculptures. They can be very elaborate.
DeleteNo, Rochester doesn't have an Ice Festival that I've ever heard of, but we certainly could have had one this year. At least we could have a few weeks ago. Br-err-err! Twas cold. Single digits right after Christmas here for at least 10 days. Any ice sculptures would have rested securely in that weather. I believe Winter weather is the price we pay for Spring days when the leaves start to unfurl in that very special only-in-Spring green color they have, and for the breathtaking color we usually experience in the Fall. So I don't mind the winter cold too much. I try not to anyway. What I dislike [intensely] are the mounds & mountains of snow that accumulate & eventually go all dirty brown & gray after a while. Truly yucky to view. If I ruled the world, we'd have 3-4 months of cold temps during Winter - but NO snow & ice. Which is totally unrealistic I know, because we need Winter snow to replenish the water table, fill the oceans, lakes & rivers. So then I return to my original view - Winter weather is the price we pay for Spring, Summer & Fall. How much more we appreciate those days because Winter's dreary colorlessness. And even Winter can be beautiful. Case in point, those days when big fluffy snowflakes literally float slowly to the ground, covering even the thinnest branches in cottony white. To me it seems like the first snow every year is like that. I remember the first snow when I was in the third grade. It was late November I think. Just after Thanksgiving. The snow was coming down thickly but very slowly, and every one of us kids were gazing out the window watching. Even our teacher stopped doing what she was doing & said "Oh let's all look at this now..." She knew there was no point trying to pry our gaze away from the falling snow. Still a very vivid memory to me. Another fun outing for the Tasha Tudor ladies! Always makes me wish we lived closer to each other, Cath. You all are always doing something interesting & educational - not to mention historical. Three of my favorite things. I get a lot of vicarious enjoyment when you post about them, & usually wind up spending a couple of happy hours at the links you include too. You're a virtual teacher! PS - no ice festival here, but we DO have a Copper Kettle restaurant! Except that it's spelled Kopper Kettle. It was my Dad's favorite spot for a coffee break or lunch all the years he was working [41]. On several occasions when my Mom was away from home & Dad didn't want to eat at home, he'd call me up & take me for dinner there. We'd sit at the counter so he could talk to his cook & waitress friends while we ate. By this time he'd been going there so long he knew everyone, they knew him - and bonus, we'd often get some extra treats with our dinners. !!! Awesome old-timey scratch cooking. Best meatloaf I think I ever had [sorry Mom]. Sadly it's closed now; the owners retired to Florida a couple of years after my Dad died. Everyone in our family misses it - even my niece & nephew [now in their mid 20s] remember going there for breakfast after church when they were toddlers. Have a good week! Peace.
ReplyDeleteHi Janet. The problem, as I see it, with ice festival is if it's cold enough to keep the ice frozen, it's too cold to go see it! We were smart, it turns out, to go in the morning before it melted and ducked into shops when we needed warming up. I would be happy for a covering of snow from December through February, with clear roads during rush hour. March would be the transitional month and Spring would arrive on April 1st. As always, I loved reading about your memories from your childhood. ❤️
ReplyDeleteI've never been to an ice festival but always have been intrigued by them. I could see them in MN or somewhere where the temperature is for sure staying below freezing, but a town in PA seems a bit iffy to me. Do they plan according to weather predictions? Seems a lot of work if it would melt in one day. But it looks like a fun thing to do, as long as there are those places to pop into to get warm!
ReplyDeleteNo, the event is a fixed date. We actually have one evening called Fire and Ice where ice sculptors spend the evening plying their trade. It's usually plenty cold here for it to work. In PA, though, theirs starts Thursday and runs through Sunday, so they have to deal with the sun melting the sculptures during the day,
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