Ligonier Ice Fest plans new designs, old favorites for 31st year

Organizers of the Ligonier Ice Fest are keeping a weather eye out, so to speak, for the Jan. 22-23 forecast.

So far, conditions look to be favorable for the 31st annual event, with highs hovering around 30 degrees, some clouds and maybe a snow shower, according to weather.com.

“I say the same thing, whether it’s 7 degrees or 70: The event brings people in,” said Cindy Purnell, who’s in her 22nd year as event chairwoman. “We just don’t want a lot of sun.”

Viewing will begin at 10 a.m. both days, with sculptures illuminated after dark.

“They’ll be there as long as the weather cooperates,” Purnell said. “We’ve had two-day festivals, we’ve had two-week festivals. I just don’t like sun, because the sculptures start to melt, and when they freeze again, they start to crystallize and they’re just not as pretty.”

As usual, organizers and sculpture sponsors have been working hard with carvers from DiMartino Ice Co. to come up with new and exciting ideas for the sculptures.

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Ernie DiMartino, owner of DiMartino Ice in Jeannette, stands with a large ice block during the 2020 Ligonier Ice Fest.

There will be 60 sculptures, including 12 multi-block creations comprising two to five blocks. One of the showpieces will depict two chickens made out of five blocks of ice.

“They’re big chickens,” said Ernie DiMartino, owner of the Jeannette company that has supplied sculptures for the event every year since the beginning. “We did them for the first time this year for an event in the middle of the state. They were very popular.”

Another design he expects to click with visitors is a three-block guitar.

“It’s an interactive thing,” he said. “You can stand behind it and take a picture looking like you’re playing it.”

Carriages and kettle corn

Regular festival features will return, including Misty Haven Carriage horse-drawn sleigh rides and the Hanson’s Original Kettle Korn booth in front of the Ligonier Valley Library.

Sleigh ride availability depends on favorable weather conditions, Purnell noted. Rides will start on the Diamond and will be $5 per person.

Ligonier Borough Fire Department will host a spaghetti dinner Jan. 22 in the Town Hall community room. Serving will be from 11 a.m. until sold out.

“It will sell out, there’s no question about it,” Purnell said.

Town Hall auditorium will be the site of two free concerts, with Big Fat Jazz playing at 2 p.m. Jan. 22 and Candle in the Wind at 12:3o p.m. Jan. 23.

“Both groups have played the ice fest and the summer Sunday evening concerts and have been popular with the crowds,” said Amy Beitel, executive director of Ligonier Valley Chamber of Commerce, the festival sponsor.

Local merchants will offer sales, and restaurants will be open.

Continuing a practice that started last year because of the pandemic, there will be no live carving or speed carving competition this year. All sculptures will be brought in already completed.

The move is designed to prevent the gathering of large crowds, as a precaution against the spread of covid-19.

“It worked really well last year. In fact, last year was probably one of our best ice fests ever,” Purnell said.

It also relieves stress on the carvers as they contend with weather conditions, DiMartino added. For instance, if the sun is out, the ice is melting as it’s carved.

Conversely, “One year, we showed up to 30 inches of snow that we had to shovel before we could get started,” he said.

Either way, people look forward to the event and return year after year.

“People were in my store around Christmas saying, ‘Oh, I can’t wait for the ice fest,’” said Purnell, who owns the Post & Rail Men’s Shop on the Diamond.

Late January is a good time for a special event, Beitel said.

“People have the itch to get out,” she said. “There’s something here for everyone, for people of all ages. People who want to stay outside and simply enjoy the sculptures can do that. People who want to shop and dine in our great establishments and listen to the music, they can do that.

“With the work that goes into making (the sculptures), it’s certainly worth a trip to come and look at them,” she said.

For more information, call the chamber office at 724-238-4200 or visit ligonier.com.