Residents carve out time for ice sculpture
There’s only one place you can see trains, angels, rockets, penguins and flamingos all in one place this weekend: the Carved in Ice festival at Diamond Park in Butler.
The Butler AM Rotary fundraiser kicked off Friday night, boasting live ice carving, food, drinks, music and more.
While chomping cheese fries or sipping coffee, people of all ages gawked at the large blocks of ice on display and the artists who brought them to life by crafting them into sculptures.
Jared McAlister, of DiMartino Ice Company in Jeannette, created a display of stacked hearts as attendees looked on.
“This is six blocks of ice,” he said. “It’s for entertainment, so it takes longer. This one took about two-and-a-half hours.”
McAlister said most ice sculptors learn the craft in culinary school and make a profession of it by providing packaged ice in the warmer months and performing when it gets cold.
