Award-winning ice carvers set to highlight annual Mohican Winter Fest

  • By Dave Mast
  • January 11, 2010
  • 643
                        
Every January for the past five years, Loudonville brings ice to life, as an Olympic gold medalist and his crew turn chunks of ice into incredible art that is certainly one-of-a-kind. The 2010 Mohican Winter Fest will be held Friday, Jan. 15, and Saturday, Jan. 16 in Loudonville. There, professional ice sculptor Aaron Costic, of Elegant Ice Creations of Broadview Heights, will host the show again this year, along with members of his ice carving crew. Together, they will create dozens of glittering ice sculptures that will adorn Loudonville’s Main St. and central park area. “Just watching the blocks of ice come to life is something worth making the trip to Loudonville worth it,” said Bill Landers, of Wauseon, at last year’s event. “These guys are unbelievable.” The event will start Friday, Jan. 15, with Fine Arts at the Winter Fest, which will take place from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the Loudonville Public Library’s lower level. Following that, Costic and company will take center stage, exhibiting their rare and unique talent to carve, hack and saw 40-pound blocks of ice into artistic masterpieces. The ice sculpting demonstrations will be at 5, 6 and 7 p.m. in downtown Loudonville’s Central Park. “There will be ice sculptures scattered throughout the downtown for everyone to enjoy, that various businesses have purchased,” said Jeanne Leckrone, office manager of the Loudonville Mohican Chamber of Commerce. “Most of the sculptures will be in front of their downtown business. We invite everyone to bring your family and friends to this beautiful event.” The United Methodist Church will serve a baked steak dinner at the church from 4 to 7 p.m. on Friday, or you can stop in and enjoy a hot beverage or meal at one of the fine dining establishments. Also on Friday, the Ohio Theatre will show the hit movie Avatar, at 7 p.m. There will be two showings of the movie on Saturday, with a 2 p.m. matinee and a 7 p.m. evening show. It will also be on screen on Sunday, Jan. 17, at 2 p.m. Saturday is the second day of Fine Arts at the Winter Fest, which will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Loudonville Public Library’s lower level. The ice sculpting demonstrations on Saturday will begin at 11 a.m. and take place on the hour, with the final showing at 4 p.m. in Central Park. Also on Saturday, from 1-5 p.m., there will be horse-drawn carriage rides in front of the chamber office. For hungry event-goers on Saturday, the United Methodist Church will serve soup and sandwiches from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information on the 2010 Mohican Winter Fest, call Leckrone at 419-994-4789 or 877-2MOHICAN. The ice sculpting will be completed on Saturday, and the sculptures will remain on display for as long as Old Man Winter allows them to stay in one piece. But there will be other options on Sunday, Jan. 17, to keep lovers of winter excited. The fifth annual Winter Hike at Mohican State Park will take place at noon, starting and ending at the Mohican State Park commissary in the Class A campground on SR 3, just south of Loudonville. The Mohican Trails Club, which hosts this annual event, said the event has been planned to appeal to hikers of all experience and skill levels and ages. Self-guided 10K and 5K hikes will take participants through the undiscovered beauty of the park in the winter season. These trails are considered moderate to difficult and are for experienced and casual hikers. Don’t miss this opportunity to explore Mohican Country in a rare and dazzling time of the year. The Mohican Trails Club will provide soup and warm beverages for participants to enjoy after the hikes. Hikers are advised to dress appropriately for the weather conditions, with special care in choosing footwear due to the challenging conditions of the trails at this time of year. For directions and more information about the hike, call the park office at 419-994-5125 or visit www.mohicanstatepark.org.


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