Carved in Ice a success thanks to local Rotary club
Even if Punxsutawney Phil isn’t right about an early spring, we’re grateful if his prediction simply prompted the warm weather for the Butler Carved in Ice festival Friday and Saturday at Diamond Park.
The unseasonably high temperatures allowed for the community to gather comfortably for the event and most of the ice carvings — though they melted a little faster than they would’ve on a colder day — held up well for the occasion.
Dena Martinez, event chairwoman, said some of the smaller sculptures could not withstand the weather, but the mild weather encouraged more people to attend, enjoying the larger sculptures, including an interactive slide for children.
The sculptures on display were impressive as ever.
There were dogs, birds and cars amid the sculptures displayed.
Many photo opportunities were scattered throughout. Children dodged in and out of snowman-themed props, and guests of all ages planted themselves in a massive ice chair.
Another ice display, entitled Triple Dog Dare, depicted a well known scene from A Christmas Story. We can only hope those in attendance didn’t treat that as interactive.
Both Friday and Saturday saw crowds, likely thanks to the weather.
But as grateful as we were for the weather, the groundhog is not really the one to thank for this weekend’s festivities.
The eighth annual event, its 60 plus ice sculptures, live entertainment and family fun were offered free to the community thanks to the efforts of the Butler AM Rotary Club.
Leading up to the event, Peggy Weckerly of the Butler AM Rotary Club said the club worked for months to find sponsors for ice blocks, which were carved for the weekend event.
She noted the event has continually grown, now taking over more of Butler than just Diamond Park. The chili cook-off was held in the Butler Art Center and children’s activities in the Holly Pointe Building.
“Each year, we kept looking at it in terms of what can we do to make it better for the people of Butler,” she said in our preview article.
We are truly impressed by the efforts of the Rotary club. Thank you all who made the Carved in Ice event a success.
— TL
