LEWISTON — The three-day Ice Festival of Lewiston/Auburn will kick off Friday, featuring literally tons of ice carvings and ice sculptures, food, libation and music, all wrapped up as a fundraiser for L/A Arts.
The ice for the event was delivered Thursday and ice-carving experts and local amateurs alike began carving for the weekend event.
The festival will take place in Fountain Park, which is the patio area outside DaVinci’s Eatery on Chestnut Street. Organizers will also use the Bates Mill Atrium as the hub location for festival-goers to keep warm, enjoy hors d’oeuvres and listen to a live DJ or band. The atrium is the building adjacent to DaVinci’s and TD Bank offices, steps away from Fountain Park. Organizers cited Tom Platz and Allan Turgeon for making the use of the atrium possible.
Plans call for events from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Feb. 22 and 23, and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission tickets to the evenings will be $10 each and limited to people 21 and older. The daytime event Sunday is free admission and open to all ages.
Along with other ice sculptures will be three 8-foot-long bars from which drinks will be served Friday and Saturday. With paid admission, people will be given two tickets toward beverages at the bar. A beer will cost two tickets. A glass of wine will cost three, and a martini will cost four tickets.
The schedule of events for this weekend is:
Friday:
5 p.m.: Doors open to sculptures, ice bars, food, drink and musical entertainment.
5 p.m.: Live ice sculpture demonstration by Jay Peterson.
Saturday:
10 a.m.: Live ice sculpture demonstration by David Moyer — free to the public.
4 p.m.: VIP hour — a sponsors-only event; special ticket required.
5 p.m.: Doors open to general public with tickets; sculptures, ice bars, food, drink and musical entertainment.
Sunday: (Family Day — free to all )
11 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Outside in Fountain Park will be more than a dozen ice sculptures. Inside in the Bates Atrium children and parents can stay warm and enjoy hot chocolate, cookies, brownies, doughnuts and other treats.
11 a.m.: Live ice sculpture demonstration by Bates College.
12:30: Performance by physical comedian Michael Trautman in the Bates Mill Atrium.
-
- Jules Patry of Lewiston moves a block of ice as workers build an igloo at Fountain Park in Lewiston on Thursday. The park is being transformed into a winter wonderland full of ice sculptures and 8-foot bars for the Ice Festival of Lewiston-Auburn. Jeremy Chapman of Auburn, an avid winter camper, built the igloo, which will allow people to stand inside a lighted snow shelter. Chris Rose of Auburn, left, Richard Gregoire of Lewiston, right, and Zach Doughty of Lisbon Falls help.
-
- Chris Rose, left, of Auburn and Jules Patry of Lewiston move a block of ice as workers build an igloo at Fountain Park in Lewiston on Thursday. The park is being transformed into a winter wonderland full of ice sculptures and 8-foot bars for the Ice Festival of Lewiston-Auburn. Jeremy Chapman of Auburn, an avid winter camper, built the igloo, which will allow people to stand inside a lighted snow shelter.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.