Somerset Fire & Ice Festival to feature self-guided activities this weekend

“Roaring ’20s Rise Again” is the theme of the 26th Annual Fire & Ice Festival, beginning Friday in Somerset — although organizers say the word “Festival” is being swapped for “Showcase” to better describe this year’s activities.

“This year will be simple, classic, charming and all outdoors,” said Regina Coughenour, executive director of Somerset Inc., which organizes the festival. “We’re honored to be able to continue this tradition in its most classic form — creating some magic and highlighting art that people can experience safely, while keeping their distance, to kick off what we hope will be a year of hope and recovery.”

Sculptures created by Mastro Ice Inc. in Pittsburgh will reflect the theme, taking the shape of flappers, feathers, a grand piano, the Great Gatsby, Charlie Chaplin and a vintage vehicle car cruise, Coughenour said.

For the safety of visitors and residents, events including fireworks, the Fire & Ice 5K, the chili cook-off and indoor entertainment have been canceled, according to a release. The festival committee hopes to bring them back in 2022.

Set in the historic uptown district of the Somerset County capital, the event running through Sunday will feature the ice sculpture gallery, horse-drawn wagon rides, a shop window decorating contest, bonfires, music playing through speakers and the annual scavenger hunt.

Local food offerings, food trucks, a pop-up by Whitehorse Brewing Co., Laurel Highlands Model Railroad Club display and Kiwanis Club take-out pancake breakfast will round out the activities.

Story stroll

New this year is the Mary S. Biesecker Public Library’s Story Stroll installation, a 15-stop outdoor reading adventure that takes readers around the community as they read a book.

Starting at the library at 230 S. Rosina Ave., visitors can pick up a free activity bag including a book about Martin Luther King Jr., in honor of the holiday weekend.

A large story board there will display the first two pages of Jan Brett’s classic children’s book, “The Mitten.” The board also will give directions to the second of the 15 story boards placed around town.

As participants move from location to location to read the story, they also will pass the sculptures and bonfires, Coughenour said.

The story boards are part of an ongoing project involving all six Somerset County libraries, she added. Each library will feature a different book each month on its story boards.

“You potentially can take your kids on six cool walks every month to read a different cool book,” Coughenour said.

Somerset Inc. was founded in 1993 as a part of the National Main Street program to revitalize Somerset’s uptown and its economic growth and community. The organization founded the Fire & Ice Festival in 1994 to draw visitors during what is typically a slower time for businesses.

“We’ve tried really hard this year to keep the spirit of the festival,” Coughenour said. “The cool thing is that we’ve made it all self-guided, so there’s no forced interaction, and it gives people the option of social distancing.”

While official activities end on Sunday, the sculptures will remain until they melt, she added.

Details: somersetinc.org