MEDINA, Ohio – The 23rd annual Medina Ice Festival will glisten with a record number of ice sculptures over Presidents Day weekend.
“All through the square, there will be wonderful sculptures, more than ever before,” said event coordinator Peggy Costic, of Elegant Ice Creations Inc.
She said there will be 87 ice sculptures lining the square and historic district.
“And that doesn’t include all the competitions that will be going on,” she said.
Some of this year’s highlights:
* A massive, 10-ice-block salute to the DreamWorks Animation movie “Trolls” in front of Main Street Cafe, 17 Public Square.
* A five-ice-block eagle with the Huntington National Bank logo, in front of the bank’s “Old Phoenix” branch, 39 Public Square. That weekend marks the official transition of FirstMerit to Huntington.
* A big moose in front of P.J. Marley’s, 119 Public Square – an homage to the moose head that sits above the bar inside the restaurant.
* Santa Claus and an alien in front of Castle Noel and Alien Vacation Mini Golf, 260 S. Court St. The museum will be open with extended hours. All golfers will receive free hot chocolate on Friday, Feb. 17, or free chips on Saturday, Feb. 18.
You can watch ice carvers in action throughout the weekend.
“We have some really top-notch carvers, from Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, New York and of course Ohio,” Costic said. They include her son, Aaron Costic, a renowned national and international carver.
The speed carving competitions are set for 5:30, 6 and 6:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 17. They will be followed by the lighting of the popular Fire and Ice Tower at 7 p.m.
On Saturday, Feb. 18, Main Street Medina will sponsor the individual carving competition from 1 to 4 p.m. in Uptown Park. The team competition will run from noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 19.
The city’s historic district restaurants and stores will be open throughout the event to give visitors a place to warm up, get a bite to eat or do a little shopping.
The only thing left to chance is the weather, which as any Northeast Ohioan knows can run the gamut of bitter cold to snowy to rainy to warm and sunny in mid-February.
“I want to ask for snow, but sometimes I get more snow than I can handle. So I’m just going to hope for the best,” Peggy Costic said.
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