Local heroes will get a warm reception with some frozen fun at this weekend’s Clarks Summit Festival of Ice.
The 17th annual ice festival, organized by the Abington Business and Professional Association, will honor community helpers — especially those working on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic — with its “Hometown Heroes on Ice” theme. The festival will take place Friday, Feb. 12, and Saturday, Feb. 13, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 14, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission and parking are free.
Over 50 sculptures made by Sculpted Ice Works, Lakeville, will showcase a variety of essential workers, such as nurses, teachers, doctors, firefighters and truck drivers. Each sculpture will be paired with a short description of what that person does to help the community.
“We wanted the people who stepped up during the pandemic to know we appreciate them, and we wanted to honor them,” said Janice Bevacqua, immediate past president of ABPA.
She said they had to scale down events this year in order to accommodate the effects of the ongoing pandemic. There won’t be a parade, but some of its usual participants will still be present including a fire juggler and live music.
Live ice sculptings will take place throughout the borough at various times all weekend.
There also will be virtual festival elements streamed live on Clarks Summit Festival of Ice’s Facebook page for those who prefer to stay home, including photos of all the sculptures as well as a tour of the ice festival.
The festival map also will be in electronic form, so people who attend in person will be able to navigate their way around from their phones. Spring Street will be closed in order to allow for proper social distancing, and masks will be required.
After the festival, ABPA will publish a list of people who purchased a sculpture and where they can be found.
“We’re doing things a little differently this year, but we tried to make it interactive. We’re having things that can be done outside so that people can still enjoy from a distance. We tried to do the best we could with the funds that we have and still keep as close to what it was as possible,” Bevacqua said.
She hopes people will still come to enjoy the sculptures and honor the work of frontline workers in the community.
“We try to touch everybody so that they can walk through and say ‘Hey, that’s me,’” she said. “We’re trying to make it a great representation of saying thank you to all these people who work so hard.”
For more information, call ABPA at 570-585-6403 or visit its Facebook page.
Contact the writer: knye@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9127
If you go
- What: Clarks Summit Festival of Ice — “Hometown Heroes on Ice”
- When: Friday, Feb. 12, and Saturday, Feb. 13, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 14, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Where: Various venues in Clarks Summit
- Details: Admission and parking are free. For more information, contact ABPA at 570-585-6403 or visit Abington Business and and Professional Association’s Facebook page.
