Magical Ice Fest Brings Frozen Fun

The growing reputation of the City of St. Joseph as a renowned four-season water wonderland along the shores of Lake Michigan and the St. Joseph River always takes a huge winter time spike when the focus of the community turns to frozen water. That will be the case soon for the 12th Annual Magical Ice Festival, running February 5th to the 7th in the central business district.

Certified ice competitions, a breath taking Fire & Ice display and even a 5K Chocolate Walk/Run are just some of the morning-til-night reasons to bring family and friends to what becomes a frosty, fun filled weekend.

Whitney Behnke is Executive Director St. Joseph Today. As event producer, she sums it all up saying, “If you need a cure for the winter blues, this is it!” She notes that local hotels with pools turn it into a great mid-winter getaway for families with children, and tells visitors that other cozy lodgings make it a romantic pre-Valentine weekend for couples, too.

The winter festivities get underway on Friday evening with professional carvers creating their artistic creations from sizable blocks of ice on downtown streets, from 5:30-7:30pm. Visitors can also participate in the Snow Biz Scavenger Hunt which runs through Sunday. An entry form listing all of the logo sculptures and contest details is available at the St. Joseph Today Welcome Center, 301 State Street downtown. Completing the hunt puts each participant into the running for a St. Joseph Today gift certificate good at more than 40 merchant locations.

Immediately following the competition on Friday, the winter night will glimmer and glow at 7:30pm with an amazing tower of both Fire & Ice at the intersection of State and Pleasant Streets. Then from 8pm until midnight, adults can enjoy the 6^th Annual Fire and Ice Party at Shadowland Ballroom, 333 Broad Street, below the bluff. The evening for ages 18 and up, includes a cash bar, tropical martini ice luge, pizza from Silver Beach Pizza, live music from Joshua and Jeremy Sprague and more. A highlight of the evening will be the Barefoot Hawaiian Fire Performers at 9:15 and 10:30pm. There is a $10 cover charge; however, ladies get in free before 9pm.

The fun continues with a full day Saturday when certified ice carving competitions take place from 8am to 4pm. At 9am, runners and walkers can melt a few pounds in the Third Annual Ice Fest 5K Chocolate Walk/Run presented by the Sunset Coast Striders. Money raised will benefit Well of Grace Ministries in Stevensville. For more information about that chip-timed event and a complete list of sponsors, click this link: https://thedriven.net/event.race_reg/eid/4500023578.

The weekend’s ice carving competition truly heats up with the Fourth Annual Ice Wars from 4:30 to 6:00pm at the intersection of State and Pleasant Streets. Professional carvers will battle it out in 15-minute bouts of ice carving frenzy, but the crowd gets the final say as they will determine who wins the “best sculpture” title when the ice chips stop flying.

Keeping with the magical theme, magician John Dudley will perform throughout the day on Saturday. Check with the Welcome Center or the St. Joe Today website for a list of times and locations.

Silver Beach Carousel, at 333 Broad Street, will also add to the entertainment with its annual scoff-the-cold Waikiki Weekend. They will crank up the heat and turn the carousel house into a tropical paradise, Thursday through Sunday. Visitors are encouraged to wear their favorite island clothing and flip flops. Watch for more details at this link: silverbeachcarousel.com.

Behnke says downtown restaurants, and wineries will serve up a variety of foods and beverages to keep festivalgoers warm as they enjoy their ice sculpture touring. Many shops will also offer specials to entice downtown visitors indoors. Behnke adds that the John and Dede Howard Ice Arena at 2414 Willa Drive will offer open skating times and skate rentals throughout the weekend for more ice fun. She reminds everyone, “Of course, the natural, wintry beauty of Lake Michigan and the St. Joseph River is magical, too.”

This year’s Frost and Snow Biz sponsors include the following, so look for their individual carvings throughout the central business district: