Annual Ice Sculpture Festival scheduled for January 23-24

On January 23 and 24, Tecumseh will host it Seventh Annual Ice Sculpture Festival in the downtown area. The festival features multiple ice sculpture carving demonstrations for visitors to enjoy throughout the weekend, as well as three early Saturday afternoon competitions between ice sculptors, with time and location determined by the competitors.

The list of events include make-it-take-it crafts for kids, a warming station, a winter warm-up beverage walk, an ice hockey table, putt-putt golf, and selfies with Olaf from the Disney movie Frozen. Saturday, Martin’s Home Center features live music from 2 to 3 p.m., with Dale Chadderdon on the saxophone.

On Sunday starting at noon, visitors can participate in a chocolate walk, with various downtown locations hosting chocolate-themed activities or specials.

Both days of the festival, visitors can enjoy lost arts demonstrations at the Rooftop Cafe above the British Pantry, located at 112 E. Chicago Blvd. Some of the demonstrations include 1880s antique sock knitting, Ukrainian egg decorating, triangle loom shawls, creating stained glass, goat milk soap making, and quilting. Items will be available for purchase. Downtown merchants offer weekend sales and specials. Sponsors for the festival include Evans Street Station, Republic Services, Tecumseh’s Central Business Association, and Tecumseh Downtown Merchants.

Paula Holtz, economic development director for the City of Tecumseh, says the ice sculpture event began when the city wanted to draw more attention to downtown merchants during the winter months. “Several of us had been talking about the need for a winter activity, and January is a slow month,” Holtz said. “We wanted to generate activity and get people out and about in Tecumseh.”

Holtz said the biggest event of the festival is the ice carving competition. “We will once again have Icescapes from Ohio provide the sculptures on Saturday. They will be doing demonstrations and participating in the dueling carvers activity, where we pit two carvers against each other and they sculpt random items from ideas in the audience,” Holtz said.

Holtz is looking forward to drawing more people into the downtown area. “It’s a very popular event with the public,” Holtz said. “People love the excuse to get out. It draws a big crowd in the streets. We get a lot of residents, and people outside the community, who enjoy the afternoon even if its cold or bitter out. People love the opportunity to get some fresh air and do a wintertime activity.”