7th annual Carved in Ice festival brings huge crowd
Sunny skies and tons of ice drew a huge crowd to the Saturday, Feb. 11, finale of the Butler AM Rotary’s seventh annual Carved in Ice festival in Diamond Park in Butler.
The two-day festival began Friday with many events including ice carving demonstrations, a sliding board made of ice for children, a chili cook off, a hot dog eating contest, tractor-pulled wagon rides, food trucks, music, a basket auction and a 50/50 drawing.
Misty Malone, of Butler, brought her daughter, Evelyn, and niece, Azelia Jones, to check out the ice sculptures.
“We like to look at all the cool carvings. I think the girls like the music,” Malone said.
The festival is the Rotary’s biggest fundraising event, and the money raised is donated to charitiesh the Rotary supports, said Dena Martinez, the Rotary’s event chairwoman.
This year’s goal was to raise $25,000, she said.
“We are so thrilled with the weather,” Martinez said, in the Butler Sons and Daughters of Italy Lodge on South Main Street, as the first round of the hot dog eating contest was getting underway.
The Rotary buys blocks of sculpted ice by DiMartino Ice Company of Jeannette in Westmoreland County, and businesses donate money to have signs with their names placed next to the carved ice blocks, which are arranged throughout the park.
Primary sponsors — such as Butler County Community College, Diehl Toyota, NexTier Bank, Pennsylvania American Water, Alliance for Nonprofit Resources and Dillon, McCandess, King, Coulter and Graham — support the carving of large ice sculptures at the festival.
A total of 67 sculptures, including the ice slide, were at the park. They will remain at the park until they melt.
The Rotary has given money raised in previous festivals to community projects including the playground at Butler Memorial Park and the first responders memorial at Alameda Park, Martinez said.
Competing in the chili cook off, which was held at the Holly Pointe building on South Main Street, were the Monroe Hotel, 11th Frame Bar and Grille, Fairground Market, Rachel’s Roadhouse, Texas Roadhouse and John Marshall Catering. People paid $5 to taste chili from each of the contestants, who competed for people’s choice and judges’ awards.
The 50/50 drawing generates more than $10,000, said Andy Menchyk, who heads the Rotary drawing committee. He said Rotary members sold $4,500 in tickets in advance of the event. Last year’s winner received $5,545, he said.
