Ice Sculpture Festival



Ring toss game. Players had to hook their rings onto one of the bowling pins.

I don't know whether there are many towns in America that host an Ice Sculpture Festival, but Hamilton, Ohio does every other year. This year there was a large crowd turnout despite the frigid weather. We walked along the town square admiring the ice sculptures carved to depict this year's theme: "Great Books In Ice."

More than 40 tons of ice was brought in to create over 200 sculptures. We saw carvings that illustrated Harry Potter, The Hungry Caterpillar, The Little Engine That Could, Make Way for Ducklings, The Giving Tree, Lord of the Rings, The Holy Bible, The Wizard of Oz, The Last of the Mohicans, Wheels on the Bus, and more. All of the sponsors had blocks of ice carved with their names, too.

There was an Alice in Wonderland miniature golf game that required players to hit their balls under the ice sculptures to get to the holes. There was a ring toss game (shown above) made of ice. There was a human sled race that day, and many ice carving demonstrations (below).

All of the restaurants on the street and vendors outside sold hot chocolate, coffee, and chili. Inside the municipal building was an art show. There was truly something for everyone willing to brave the cold weather. Though Ohio loves its festivals, there aren't many outdoor festivals in January. But everyone looks forward to this free event, no matter how icy it is outside.