Giant blocks of ice will begin taking over the center of Richmond, Ind., this week. The annual Meltdown Winter Ice Festival returns Jan. 30 - Feb. 1.
"World-class ice carvers come and basically turn the entire park into a wonderland of ice sculptures," explains Ed DeLaPaz, planning committee member. "Usually we bring about 22 tons of ice and that roughly can translate [to] anywhere from 50 to 100 ice sculptures."
A handful of ice carvers from around the country are descending this week on Jack Elstro Plaza to transform giant blocks of ice into art. There's no prescribed theme they have to follow, and DeLaPaz says they typically pull inspiration from popular culture.
"When 'Star Wars' was really popular, we had the baby Yoda and the Mandalorians and things like that. When 'Frozen' was really popular, we had tons of Disney and 'Frozen' themes. It varies from year to year," he says. "It's whatever inspires the artists when they're here that week."
RELATED: Wayne County, Ind., celebrates 100 murals
Events are held around town during the festival, including winter hikes, art workshops, meet-and-greets, a chili cook-off, and more, culminating in the signature Meltdown Throwdown and fireworks. That's when the ice carvers divide into two teams and take turns crafting sculptures in three, five-minute rounds with the fans deciding who will take home the "Golden Chainsaw."
"You're working with a block of ice, and it's almost like creating a sculpture out of marble. They will start with the markings, and they will lay out the design, and then they carve into it. They use not just chainsaws, but all kinds of carving tools that you would see woodworkers use, and also including flamethrowers to get the shine and the look that they're looking for," DeLaPaz explains.
A full schedule of events can be found on the Meltdown Winter Ice Festival website.
