CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - It may not feature Foreigner or Vanilla Ice, but sculptures and smiles lined Main Street in downtown Chambersburg for the 21st annual Chambersburg IceFest last weekend.
Originating in 2002, IceFest has been an important tradition in the Franklin County borough for the past two decades.
Carvers from the DiMartino Ice Co. worked hard for this year’s event to create more than 100 ice sculptures from over 47 tons of ice. It was not just the number of ice sculptures that was bigger; the 16 large ice sculptures were also bigger than usual, with some towering several feet above onlookers.
DiMartino Ice Co., located in Jeannette, Pennsylvania, is a family-run business whose ice sculptures have been a staple of IceFest. Mitch Schrader, one of the carvers for DiMartino Ice, enjoys seeing the community’s reactions to his work.
“The people love it. Especially the kids, I like interacting with the kids a whole bunch,” said Schrader, who has been attending IceFest for the past 12 years.
And there was no shortage of that interaction this year. For some, like Kristin Dropkin, it was their first time attending. “I really like to see the different sculptures, particularly the dogs because I’m a dog lover,” Dropkin said.
In addition to the sculptures, there were also plenty of other activities for all ages. On Saturday, several blocks of Main Street were closed and lined with vendors, people and, of course, ice.
Other events included a SnowFall Ball Dance Workshop, scavenger hunts for both adults and children, a musical performance by the Cumberland Valley School of Music’s Community Symphonic Band and much more.
One popular attraction was a 40-foot slide made of solid blocks of ice. On Friday night, the Wilson College field hockey team volunteered its time to help children and their parents enjoy the slide.
“Something that is very important to our whole team is being very close knit,” co-captain Abby Rosenberry said. “Coming out here and working as a team, working the IceFest slide, is really important to us because it’s one of the ways we display our passion for the community.”
Hailey Steele, the other co-captain, also spoke about the team’s motto of build legacy, lead and leave: “Building up a legacy, leading it while we’re here, and leaving a good legacy. And our community service really speaks volumes to that.”
While IceFest may have only run from Jan. 26–29 in Chambersburg’s downtown, organizers are already thinking of ways to make next year’s event even better.
“Every year we try to add something new,” said Penny Shaul, co-chair of the IceFest Committee.
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