of bills to pay, he added.
“It costs about $100,000 to put the
festival on, to pay for the ice, the
carvers, the insurance and the city
services. We pay the city for the police,
fire department, Huron Valley
Ambulance, the DPW to handle the
trash and all that parking signage and
enforcement, along with some pretty
steep equipment rentals and insur-
ance,” he said.
“We couldn't do this without these
sponsors. These people step up and
really give back to the community.
They are what make this the special
event that it is,” he added.
This year, that spirit of giving back
will be prevalent throughout the event.
“The Ice Festival has been looking
for some charity involvement over the
past few years and we are really excit-
ed to have not just one but three chari-
ties working with us this year,” Geitzen
said. “Locally we have the Plymouth
Community UnitedWay doing a winter
clothing drive.
“We also have the local Habitat for
Humanity resale store accepting dona-
tions and scheduling pickups during
the event.
On a regional level, The Ford Fund
and Gleaners Food Bank have teamed
up for a text to donate program. During
the festival, visitors can Text the Word
FORD to 41444 and Ford will match
their donations to Gleaners,” Geitzen
said.
All in all, I think it will be a great
event, no matter what the weather
does. The Ford exhibit and the ice
sculptures in town and in the park are
worth seeing, and there is going to be a
lot to do and see.
“When you bring this many people
to town, you want to make the best
impression possible. I think we will do
that again this year,”Geitzen said.
“After all, the Plymouth Ice Festival
was started to bring people to down-
town Plymouth in the winter 34 years
ago, and it does that each and every
year. It has now turned into an essen-
tial part of what makes the Plymouth
community unique,” he concluded.
Plymouth Ice Festival
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Festival
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James Geitzen
