A blazing eight-foot tower of ice on Chardon’s Public Square will take center stage during Chardon Tomorrow’s Fire and Ice kickoff event for WinterFest 2014 the weekend of January 17-18.
On Friday, January 17, the tower will be on display beginning at 6:00 p.m. along with other ice sculptures created by renowned artists at Elegant Ice Creations in Broadview Heights. The tower is sponsored by Chardon area banks, UH Geauga Medical Center, and Chardon Tomorrow, organizer of the annual event, which is free to the public.
During Fire and Ice, attendees can also purchase hot dogs and view lit trees on the Square and wooden snowmen decorated by Chardon High School students.
At 7 p.m. the torching of Fire and Ice will begin. The structure is shaped like a giant chimney with wood and other flammables crammed inside its shaft. The tower explodes from the top with flames creating a spectacular display lasting about an hour. Afterwards attendees are encouraged to make their way to local restaurants which will be feature Fire and Ice specials.
The fun continues on Saturday, January 18, with the traditional Chardon WinterFest activities. The event begins at 8 a.m. with an all-you-can eat pancake breakfast at Pilgrim Christian Church until 11 a.m. Price is $9 for adults and $5 for children under 10 and includes pancakes with locally made maple syrup, sausages, orange juice and coffee.
At 9 a.m., Rep. John Patterson will provide opening remarks for the festival along with city officials and members of Chardon Tomorrow. Afterwards families can enjoy a variety of free activities and games including a ride around the Square in a wagon drawn by the Big Sky Clydesdales and a chance to watch the Siberian husky dog sled team in action. There will also be free games with prizes such as snow bowling, snow tag, snow putting, and a guessing contest involving snowmen which showcase local businesses. Guests can also play an Indian game called snow snakes featured by the Geauga Park District and get snow shoe lessons from instructors at Lake Metroparks.
In addition, attendees can watch live ice carving demonstrations, enjoy hot dogs which will be sold by local Boy Scouts and gather around several outside fire pits. Other food, including hot chocolate and cookies sponsored by the Chardon Square Association, will be available in the log cabin along with activities such as face tattooing, raffles, and displays.
Another exciting feature of the festival will be free snowmobile rides from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. at Mel Harder Park located approximately a half mile from the Square.
Chardon Tomorrow, a non-profit group which focuses on economic development and the promotion of Chardon, founded WinterFest in 2011. Since then it has grown to attract more than 1,000 people with even bigger crowds expected this year with the addition of Fire and Ice.
For more information, visit the website or email info@chardontomorrow.org.
