This ice is twice as nice
Do the winter blahs have you down? Do you need something to breath some life into the blase winter months?
Look no further than Loudonville, where an Olympic champion returns, and ice never looked more beautiful.
The seventh annual Mohican Winter Fest will be held on Friday, Jan. 13 and Saturday, Jan. 14 in downtown Loudonville, and with the arrival of some massive blocks of ice comes the artistry and beauty that will undoubtedly make patrons view winter and ice in a completely new way.
After a scheduling conflict caused him to miss last year’s festival for the first time in Winter Fest history, Olympic ice sculptor Aaron Costic and his talented crew from Elegant Ice Creations, Inc. in Broadview Heights will be returning to this year’s 2012 Mohican Winter Fest with their beautiful ice creations.
Costic is a full-time ice sculptor, servicing northern Ohio and the world with 20 years of ice sculpting experience. He has competed in Olympic competitions, world and national championships.
If you have not been to Winter Fest to witness Costic and his talented crew in person, this is your chance to witness the truly amazing transformation of a block of ice into a masterfully crafted piece of art, as the crew from Elegant Ice uses chain saws and assorted other tools, then makes the freezing sculptures come to life by applying — of all things — heat from a blow torch.
This opportunity is definitely one which is amazing for the entire family, as Costic and company churns out birds, animals, dinosaurs and many other sculptures.
Now in its seventh year, there will be many ice sculptures scattered throughout the downtown for everyone to enjoy, which various businesses and organizations have purchased. Most of the sculptures will be in front of their downtown business, and the public is invited to see these awe-inspiring icy works of art before they disappear for good.
“These ice sculptures are simply beautiful,” said Jeanne Leckrone, Mohican Chamber of Commerce director. “Whether it is watching them create incredible ice sculptures out of blocks of ice, or simply walking through downtown to view the pieces they have already made, especially at night when they are lit up, these truly are amazing to look at. What’s more, it is fun for the whole family to get outside and spend time together enjoying it.”
The event will start on Friday, Jan. 13 with three demonstrations in Central Park. The ice carving demonstrations will be at 5, 6 and 7 p.m. After each demonstration, there will be kids’ names in ice autograph session at no charge.
Also set up in Central Park, from 4 to 7 p.m., will be kettle corn and hot apple cider by Team 39 East, as a fundraiser for the 2012 Mohican Valley Relay for Life. All of those proceeds will go to the American Cancer Society.
Friday also includes the Loudonville United Methodist Church, who will be serving a baked steak dinner at the church from 4 to 7 p.m. The American Legion Post 257 will be having a rib eye steak fry from 5 to 8 p.m. or you can stop in and enjoy a hot beverage or meal at one of the fine dining establishments.
If it’s freezing cold outside and you want to warm yourself up a bit, you can take a break from the outside activities and enjoy time inside at the Ohio Theatre, which will be showing the movie Happy Feet 2 on Friday, at 7 p.m. There will be two showings of the movie on Saturday, a 2 p.m. matinee and a 7 p.m. showing. There will be another matinee showing on Sunday, at 2 p.m.
Before the first demonstration in Central Park begins on Saturday, stop in at the vendors show located at 215 W. Main St., which opens at 9 a.m. and ends at 5 p.m.
The ice carving demonstrations will begin Saturday at 11 a.m. and will continue at the top of the hour through the final exhibition at 4 p.m. As it was on Friday, after each demonstration, there will be a kids’ name in ice autograph session at no charge, as members of Elegant Ice create frozen memories for the kids.
Also, kettle corn and hot apple cider will be available again to the public, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
In addition, Rook Family Farm and Carriage Services from Butler will be in town on Saturday, with their horse drawn carriage rides in front of the chamber of commerce office, starting at 1 p.m. and ending at 5 p.m.
Two new activities added this year to the Mohican Winter Fest on Saturday are the train expo and Curious Critters book event. The train expo at the Hans Event Center, located at 165 N. Water St., begins at 9 a.m. and ends at 5 p.m. Author David Fitzsimmons is holding a Curious Critters book event at the Loudonville Public Library, beginning at 11 a.m.
Whether your fingers are getting too cold from the weather or you’re getting hungry, stop in at one of the restaurants in the area or the Fraternal Order of Eagles #2275, which will be serving soup and sandwiches, from 2 to 6 p.m., on Saturday.
For more information on the 2012 Mohican Winter Fest, call Jeanne Leckrone at 419-994-4789 or 877-2-MOHICAN.
And if you haven’t gotten enough outdoor fun and are looking to make it a three-day weekend, hang around Sunday for the seventh annual Winter Hike at Mohican State Park. The hike is being held at 10 a.m., beginning and ending at the Mohican State Park Commissary in the Class A Campground on SR 3, just south of Loudonville. The Mohican Trails Club, which hosts this annual event, said the event has been planned to appeal to hikers of all experience levels and ages, with hikes designed for varying skill levels. Self guided 10K and 5K hikes will take participants through the undiscovered beauty of the park in the winter season. These trails are considered moderate to difficult and are for experienced and casual hikers.
The Mohican Trails Club will provide soup and warm beverages for participants to enjoy after the hikes. Hikers are advised to dress appropriately for the weather conditions with special care in choosing footwear, due to the challenging conditions of trails at this time of year.
For directions and more information about the hike, call the park office at 419-994-5125 or visit http://www.mohicanstatepark.org.
Look no further than Loudonville, where an Olympic champion returns, and ice never looked more beautiful.
The seventh annual Mohican Winter Fest will be held on Friday, Jan. 13 and Saturday, Jan. 14 in downtown Loudonville, and with the arrival of some massive blocks of ice comes the artistry and beauty that will undoubtedly make patrons view winter and ice in a completely new way.
After a scheduling conflict caused him to miss last year’s festival for the first time in Winter Fest history, Olympic ice sculptor Aaron Costic and his talented crew from Elegant Ice Creations, Inc. in Broadview Heights will be returning to this year’s 2012 Mohican Winter Fest with their beautiful ice creations.
Costic is a full-time ice sculptor, servicing northern Ohio and the world with 20 years of ice sculpting experience. He has competed in Olympic competitions, world and national championships.
If you have not been to Winter Fest to witness Costic and his talented crew in person, this is your chance to witness the truly amazing transformation of a block of ice into a masterfully crafted piece of art, as the crew from Elegant Ice uses chain saws and assorted other tools, then makes the freezing sculptures come to life by applying — of all things — heat from a blow torch.
This opportunity is definitely one which is amazing for the entire family, as Costic and company churns out birds, animals, dinosaurs and many other sculptures.
Now in its seventh year, there will be many ice sculptures scattered throughout the downtown for everyone to enjoy, which various businesses and organizations have purchased. Most of the sculptures will be in front of their downtown business, and the public is invited to see these awe-inspiring icy works of art before they disappear for good.
“These ice sculptures are simply beautiful,” said Jeanne Leckrone, Mohican Chamber of Commerce director. “Whether it is watching them create incredible ice sculptures out of blocks of ice, or simply walking through downtown to view the pieces they have already made, especially at night when they are lit up, these truly are amazing to look at. What’s more, it is fun for the whole family to get outside and spend time together enjoying it.”
The event will start on Friday, Jan. 13 with three demonstrations in Central Park. The ice carving demonstrations will be at 5, 6 and 7 p.m. After each demonstration, there will be kids’ names in ice autograph session at no charge.
Also set up in Central Park, from 4 to 7 p.m., will be kettle corn and hot apple cider by Team 39 East, as a fundraiser for the 2012 Mohican Valley Relay for Life. All of those proceeds will go to the American Cancer Society.
Friday also includes the Loudonville United Methodist Church, who will be serving a baked steak dinner at the church from 4 to 7 p.m. The American Legion Post 257 will be having a rib eye steak fry from 5 to 8 p.m. or you can stop in and enjoy a hot beverage or meal at one of the fine dining establishments.
If it’s freezing cold outside and you want to warm yourself up a bit, you can take a break from the outside activities and enjoy time inside at the Ohio Theatre, which will be showing the movie Happy Feet 2 on Friday, at 7 p.m. There will be two showings of the movie on Saturday, a 2 p.m. matinee and a 7 p.m. showing. There will be another matinee showing on Sunday, at 2 p.m.
Before the first demonstration in Central Park begins on Saturday, stop in at the vendors show located at 215 W. Main St., which opens at 9 a.m. and ends at 5 p.m.
The ice carving demonstrations will begin Saturday at 11 a.m. and will continue at the top of the hour through the final exhibition at 4 p.m. As it was on Friday, after each demonstration, there will be a kids’ name in ice autograph session at no charge, as members of Elegant Ice create frozen memories for the kids.
Also, kettle corn and hot apple cider will be available again to the public, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
In addition, Rook Family Farm and Carriage Services from Butler will be in town on Saturday, with their horse drawn carriage rides in front of the chamber of commerce office, starting at 1 p.m. and ending at 5 p.m.
Two new activities added this year to the Mohican Winter Fest on Saturday are the train expo and Curious Critters book event. The train expo at the Hans Event Center, located at 165 N. Water St., begins at 9 a.m. and ends at 5 p.m. Author David Fitzsimmons is holding a Curious Critters book event at the Loudonville Public Library, beginning at 11 a.m.
Whether your fingers are getting too cold from the weather or you’re getting hungry, stop in at one of the restaurants in the area or the Fraternal Order of Eagles #2275, which will be serving soup and sandwiches, from 2 to 6 p.m., on Saturday.
For more information on the 2012 Mohican Winter Fest, call Jeanne Leckrone at 419-994-4789 or 877-2-MOHICAN.
And if you haven’t gotten enough outdoor fun and are looking to make it a three-day weekend, hang around Sunday for the seventh annual Winter Hike at Mohican State Park. The hike is being held at 10 a.m., beginning and ending at the Mohican State Park Commissary in the Class A Campground on SR 3, just south of Loudonville. The Mohican Trails Club, which hosts this annual event, said the event has been planned to appeal to hikers of all experience levels and ages, with hikes designed for varying skill levels. Self guided 10K and 5K hikes will take participants through the undiscovered beauty of the park in the winter season. These trails are considered moderate to difficult and are for experienced and casual hikers.
The Mohican Trails Club will provide soup and warm beverages for participants to enjoy after the hikes. Hikers are advised to dress appropriately for the weather conditions with special care in choosing footwear, due to the challenging conditions of trails at this time of year.
For directions and more information about the hike, call the park office at 419-994-5125 or visit http://www.mohicanstatepark.org.
Published: January 6, 2012
