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on a beach in Miami sipping margari-
tas,” others deserve recognition for
their hardwork and service.
After Lorenz received his epiphany
about having an ice festival in
Plymouth, he looked for volunteers
and sponsors. The first two men he
told about his idea were his father,
Ralph, who owned the Mayflower
Hotel and Hank Graper, the city man-
ager at the time.
While the elder Lorenz thought his
son's idea was crazy, Graper talked to
downtown businesses and secured
$1,000 in early donations. With that
money and lots of walking and talking,
the duo hosted their first ice festival
45-days after Lorenz saw the 60
Minutes feature.
With Lorenz as the leader of the
event and Graper working behind the
scenes, the script for success lasted for
more than 10 years.
Current City Manager Paul Sincock,
who worked as assistant manager
under Graper, said his former boss was
dedicated to the ice-carving event from
the beginning.
“The festival came along at a time
when there was a downturn in the
economy,” said Sincock, who credited
Graper with realizing the potential of
this event as not only an economic
engine, but also as funway for the com-
munity to gather.
“He's the guy that got things moving
and kept them moving along,” Sincock
said.
In 1992, the spectacular faced a cri-
sis. Lorenz decided to step down as
organizer for the event during the
same time Graper's contract with the
city expired. With the festival coming
and its two leaders leaving, a local real
estate developer- along with members
of the Plymouth Community Chamber
Plymouth Ice Festival
Page 10
History
from page 8