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Plymouth Ice Festival
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If the third time is a charm, Sam
Walton is looking forward to it.
Walton, of Signature Professional
Group, was the choice of the members
of the Ice Festival Committee to organ-
ize and manage the community event
again this year, his third time at the
helm.
And this year, he's ready for just
about anything.
His first year, Mother Nature chose
to send a warming trend to the area
beginning the weekend of the festival,
culminating in melting sculptures on
Sunday. Last year, she decided to over-
compensate and the bitter cold kept
people indoors.
“The temperatures were danger-
ously cold on Saturday and Sunday last
year, keeping our crowds down. But we
still had between 50,000 and 60,000
people, even in those conditions,”
Walton said.
This year, he's ready for anything.
“I'm hoping for a beautiful mid-20s
weekend with a little sunshine. If that
happens, I bet we will have 100,000
people come through the event,” he
said.
If not, he’s prepared.
“We have so many other things to
see, do and eat, that if the weather is
bad, we hope that people still come
down to seewhat wehave to offer.
“We also have enough back up ice
that if we need to keep carving sculp-
tures, we can do it even if the tempera-
tures don't work out.”
Walton and the committee are
promising a bigger and better show
than ever before with more sculptures
and new and upgraded on-site activi-
ties to help mark the 30th anniversary
of the event. “This is a huge milestone
for the event and we are extremely
excited about this year being the 30th
anniversary of the Plymouth Ice
Festival,” said Walton, whose official
title is executive producer of the
Plymouth Ice Festival. “Through the
years the event has gone throughmany
changes, but the fact that the festival
continues to dazzle and delight tens of
thousands of visitors from across the
country every January is truly special.
And this year will prove no different.
The festival will be bigger than ever
withmore than 100 ice carvings on dis-
play and new and improved activities
around the downtown area.”
The 30th Annual Plymouth Ice
Festival officially begins at 3 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 20, and wraps up at 6 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 22. The three days will be
full of events, demonstrations and
activities,Walton said.
The Dueling Chainsaws Speed
Carving Extravaganza will be back by
popular demand at 7 p.m. Saturday,
Jan. 21. This year there will be more
sculptors, more speed, more ice, more
action and more fun. Family activities
will be found scattered throughout
See
Thrills,
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Chills and thrills
30th Plymouth Ice Festival promises to entertain crowds