This year’s 5th annual Ice Carnival at the Delmar Loop provided a cure for cabin fever on Jan. 16, 2010, and for those who chose to embrace the cold, entertainment was complete with ice sculptures, games, slides, and fiery entertainment.
Jeanetta Roberts
-Photo & Online Editor –
This year’s 5th annual Ice Carnival at the Delmar Loop provided a cure for cabin fever on Jan. 16, 2010, and for those who chose to embrace the cold, entertainment was complete with ice sculptures, games, slides, and fiery entertainment. From the Pageant to Cicero’s, Delmar Street was filled with adults and kids of all ages who came to participate in icy festivities.
Joe Edwards, owner of Blueberry Hill, started the event five years ago and says every year it seems to outgrow the last.
“This has been the biggest year yet,” says Edwards. “Everywhere I look, I see kids and families laughing and smiling.”
One of the most popular events held at the festival was a Putt-Putt Pub Crawl. Both adults and children ventured through places such as The Pageant, Pi Pizza, and Blueberry Hill to play 12 non-traditional holes of golf.
Many got into the spirit of the game by dressing in full golf attire. After finishing all 12 holes, the players were able to turn in their score cards and earn prizes for their hard work.
Other popular events included the temporary tattoo scavenger hunt and ice cube scavenger hunt where money and other prizes were frozen into ice cubes and distributedat participating stores throughout the day. Children flocked to slippery slides made of ice, and accompanied adults who also took turns testing their strength while swinging at a block of ice in the “ice breaker” competition. To keep warm, many sipped on hot chocolate while others ignored the cool weather and enjoyed ice cream from Ben and Jerry’s or yogurt from FroYo’s. The festival ended with a performance by a fire-performing group called “Tastes Like Burning,” who danced and hula hooped with fire.
Many ice sculptures, created by Sean Leahy of Ice Visions, were created during one of the festival’s demonstrations and lined Delmar Street. Leahy also taught an eight week ice-carving class at STLCC-Forest Park during the Fall 2009 semester.
“The class mainly focused on the fundamentals of sculpting ice,” explained Leahy. “There was emphasis on safety in moving, sculpting and displaying the ice, as well as properly handling and caring for the tools.”
The Ice Carnival at The Loop takes place every year in January.
