MEDINA, Ohio – The weekend’s bright sunshine wasn’t kind to the 80-plus ice sculptures lining Public Square and Uptown Park for the 23rd annual Medina Ice Festival.
But the unseasonably warm weather melted the winter-weary hearts of more than 20,000 people – some wearing shorts and most sporting sunglasses – who decided this weekend was a good one for exploring the city’s Historic District.
And despite having to wage a losing battle with the sun’s ultraviolet rays, professional ice carvers from all over the United States created glistening works of art in front of throngs of observers.
“The crowds were phenomenal,” said Jeremy Levine, executive director of Main Street Medina, which sponsors the annual Ice Festival along with Northeast Ohio’s own Elegant Ice Creations.
He said 4,000 to 5,000 people turned out Friday night for the speed-carving competitions and the lighting of the Fire and Ice Tower.
Another 10,000 descended on the Historic District on Saturday to watch the ice carving competitions, enjoy a meal at one of the restaurants on the square and shop in the city’s boutique stores.
Another couple thousand came out on Sunday – even though there were no ice sculptures left to see.
“It was a great event for Northeast Ohio. The good weather brought people out in droves,” Levine said.
“It was not so great for the ice. I feel bad for the artists who put all that effort into creating these beautiful sculptures. But the nature of their art is fleeting,” he said.
The weather for the Ice Festival is always a crapshoot. February in Medina can mean bitterly cold, sub-zero temperatures one year, rain the next and sometimes even years like this, with temperatures flirting with 70 and wall-to-wall sunshine.
Visitor turnout usually remains steady, no matter the weather, Levine said.
“But we probably got more of a bump from the good weather (this year). Ironically, when it’s really cold, it keeps people away,” he said.
“I would rather that it was 31 and cloudy, but this was great for our purposes – to get people out here to visit our merchants,” Levine said.
Friday night was the most winter-like, allowing visitors to admire ice sculptures commissioned by local businesses. Many of the sculptures were lit up with colorful LED lighting.
“I like the energy of Friday night. Friday night is a party here,” said event organizer Aaron Costic, owner of Elegant Ice Creations and an internationally renowned ice carver.
“People were lined up 10 or 12 deep to watch the speed competition. We had a DJ playing music and pumping everyone up for the lighting of the Fire and Ice Tower,” he said.
But Saturday morning dawned sunny and warm, forecasting doom for the ice sculptures that in other years often stay standing for a week or two after the event.
By noon, as the thermometer edged toward 60 degrees, many of the creations were nothing more than puddles on the sidewalk.
Costic explained that it was the ultraviolet rays from the sun that caused the sculptures to crack and melt quickly.
“The temperature is not the thing. The UV rays weaken the ice, changing its molecular structure,” he said.
A few sculptures on the shady southern side of Public Square – including a train and Olaf the snowman from the movie “Frozen” – were still intact early Saturday afternoon. Others in sunnier spots looked more like abstract works of art. Many had melted completely away.
And while many visitors were disappointed, most understood that Mother Nature cannot be controlled and made the best of it.
“We’re going to guess what they were yesterday!” one visitor said.
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