Plymouth Ice Festival
Page 2
This year, sledders can enjoy the run
for $5 all day or $2 a ride.
Miss Michigan USA, Elizabeth
Johnson, who lives in Plymouth, will
be visiting the festival, too, Gietzen
said. She and Miss Michigan Teen
USAAnane Loveday will be in theHot
Spot in The Gathering from 3 until 5
p.m. Saturday to sign autographs and
pose for photos and answer visitors'
questions.
“She said she is looking forward to
it and she lives here in Plymouth, so
she is familiar with the Ice Festival,”
Gietzen said.
Again this year, Gietzen said that he
expects from 75,000 to 100,000 people
to visit the event.
“This is still the largest Ice Festival
in the state,” he said. “Other communi-
ties have tried it and many of them
include snow sculptures, but we stick
completely to ice.”
That includes more than 300 blocks
of ice, eachweighing about 300 pounds
that are put into the hands of 15 pro-
fessional carvers, who turn out the
artistic creations that fill the down-
town area.
“Many of these guys started here in
Plymouth, this is where they learned
to carve,” Gietzen said, “so there is a
feeling of nostalgia for the community
and the town.”
The carvers are a community of
their own and enjoy the Plymouth fes-
tival because they see old friends at
the event.
“They share tools, tips, they have a
real feeling of camaraderie,” Gietzen
said.
There will be another 30 or so com-
petitive carvers in the community dur-
ing the festival competing in Kellogg
Park in various contests, including the
ChainSawChallenge.
Gietzen said thatmost visitors to the
Ice Festival do not realize that it is any
entirely sponsor-driven event.
“We get no money from the city.
Festival
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Elizabeth Johnson
