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It wouldn't be IceFest without ...


CHAMBERSBURG - Believe it or not, the 14th annual IceFest is just around the corner and the environment is finally starting to cooperate. Compared to last year’s event when temperatures dropped into the single digits, this year's weather had been positively balmy, until very recently. Will we need just a scarf and gloves, or will we need the long underwear and hand warmers again this year?

In any case, for many who attend, the ice sculptures are a highlight of the winter celebration. Penny Shaul, owner of the women’s clothing store “Here’s Looking at You,” is once again helping organize the winter celebration, which promises a record number of ice sculptures this year. Be sure to mark your calendars for the event, which runs from January 28-31.

The story behind those icy works of art

For those who have ever wondered about the man behind the ephemeral sculptures that are such a critical part of the ever-growing event, Ernie DiMartino, owner of DiMartino Ice in Jeannette, Pennsylvania, will tell you that necessity is the mother of invention.

“My brother and I had full-time jobs and we sold ice in the summer to make extra money," DiMartino said. "When they moved my job to Mexico, I decided to develop a template for festivals so I could make money for DiMartino Ice.”

To further that goal, DiMartino joined the National Ice Carving Association (NICA), a United States-based global organization that promotes the art of ice carving. “That’s one of the ways I learned to carve ice,” he said, adding that at one time he traveled hither and yon to compete in the NICA-sanctioned competitions. His talent evolved over the years and he eventually served as a judge for the association. “After that, the business really took off and now we’re busy from New Year’s to March every year,” he said.

How they do it

DiMartino said the first challenge of ice carving is engineering the piece to ensure its stability, which takes precedence over the second part, which is building it. He took on the role of training his team and has been carving for 26 years now, providing services to about 14 events around Pennsylvania. “To train is to learn, so even my apprentices train now. Everyone on my team is a teacher,” he said.

As for the most popular IceFest sculpture, it comes as no surprise. “It’s the ice slide. It initially started out as one lane and now it’s two,” he said of the LED-lighted piece that takes his team 75 man hours to create and joins the oversized throne as a shutterbug favorite.

For those who are interested in how sculptures are chosen, Shaul offers some insight. “We try to mix it up so they aren’t the same every year. The carvers offer us a huge range of choices. We choose some and they choose some.”

Sometimes Shaul asks for input on crowd favorites, or for new designs. She often pairs the sculptures with the sponsors. “Some sponsors like designs that represent their type of business, for example, Ludwig’s Jewelers always does a diamond ring and McCleary Oil does an oil truck,” she said.

Carving will be done on site on Thursday and Friday nights, Jan.28-29. For those who are interested in learning how blocks of ice are transformed into works of art, be sure to pay a visit to downtown Chambersburg between 5 and 8 p.m. and keep your eyes peeled for an exciting new sculpture that will definitely be a show stopper.

To learn more, visit icefestpa.com

When you go:

IceFest

Downtown Chambersburg

Jan. 28-31

For a full schedule of IceFest events and a map of the festival, see the Jan. 28 edition of Weekender.