Carving competition to take place on Main Street, Carter Green
Eight of the top ice carvers from around the Midwest have brought their tools and talents to Carmel for a weekend of ice carving competition and demonstrations as the City of Carmel presents the fourth annual Festival of Ice.
This year’s festival is significantly different as the city takes precautionary measures against the potential spread of the COVID-19 virus. Visitors are encouraged to maintain a healthy distance, wear a mask, and consider viewing the sculptures from their cars as they will be visible from Main Street this evening and Carter Green on Sunday.
Ice sculpting will begin at 4 p.m. today in the Carmel Arts & Design District. (Photo provided by City of Carmel)
“After having to cancel so many events over the past year, we are thrilled to be able to bring back the ice sculptors this weekend so we can enjoy their artistic talents. They truly create the most beautiful ice sculptures and given the temperatures, it’s a good bet the sculptures could remain standing for several days,” said Nancy Heck, Director of Community Relations and Economic Development for the City of Carmel. “At the same time, we urge residents to enjoy the sculptures from a safe distance. We want our visitors to be smart, stay safe and do all you can to avoid spreading the virus.”
The Festival of Ice Weekend will begin tonight in the Carmel Arts & Design District, where the sculpting will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. Visitors will be able to see the sculptures in front of these locations on Main Street: Woodys Library Restaurant, Agave Bar & Grill, Donatello’s Italian Restaurant, Little Cairo Café, Muldoon’s, The Pint Room Bar, Bub’s Burgers & Ice Cream, and Anthony’s Chop House.
On Sunday, the action moves to Carter Green where sculpting will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visitors are invited to drive around the Green for a quick view of the sculptures or to park and take a closer look – while maintaining a safe, healthy distance. The ice carvers will be competing against each other on Sunday for the best sculpture, voted on by visitors, and a chance to win one of three cash prizes.
The People’s Choice Awards voting will start at 3 p.m. and take place primarily online via a special Festival of Ice Facebook Group page that is open to the public and makes it easy for someone to vote from home. Pictures of the sculptures will be uploaded upon their completion. All votes must be cast by 7 p.m. on Sunday. There will also be paper ballots that can be cast at Carter Green until 5 p.m.
Many of the ice carvers are making their fourth straight appearance in Carmel, one of several stops they make during the winter carving season. This year’s group includes Titus Arensberg of Newark, Ohio; Greg Butauski of Sunbury, Ohio; Shannon Gerasimchik of Columbus, Ohio; Benjamen Goebel of Whitmore Lake, Mich.; Stephan Koch of Daleville, Ind.; Jeff Petercsak of Westerville, Ohio; Matthew Stoddart of Lexington, Ky.; and Michael D. Stoddart of Lexington, Ky.
The Festival of Ice is a free, family-friendly event.
What and where is “Carter Green”? I have lived in Carmel for 40 years. Never heard of Carter Green.
Nancy — Carter Green is the name of what used to be called Center Green. It was renamed in September 2019 in honor of now-former Carmel City Councilor Ron Carter. Read more about that at this link. You will see that while the signage says “Carter’s Green,” city officials generally refer to it as “Carter Green.” Thanks for reading The Reporter!