The 10th Annual Main Street Vermilion Ice-A-Fair, an event featuring Elegant Ice Sculptures and downtown shops, was held Feb. 3 in downtown Vermilion.
“The event was created as a way to bring people downtown in the winter time,” said Janet Ruh, co-chair of the Ice-A-Fair. “Vermilion is a great destination in the summertime, but I noticed there just wasn’t a whole lot going on this time of year. The event is a way to get people downtown and to bring the community together for a great event.”
Jeanette Schaefer, the other co-chair of the event, said the event features ice sculptures that represent the community.
“Elegant Ice, out of Broadview Heights, is the company that makes these beautiful sculptures for the event,” she said. “We have the sculptures lined up and down Main Street and Liberty Avenue downtown. Each sculpture represents a business, group or whomever donated for the event.”
Ruh said the event has been very appreciated by the local businesses.
“They tell us it’s their most profitable day of the year,” she said. “You have members of the community filling the streets downtown and it really showcases the shops in an effective way.”
Schaefer said the event has grown steadily year after year.
“It has been great to see something go from the development stage to an annual tradition for the city,” she said. “Out first year we had about 10 sculptures, we have 68 for this year. Community members come from the neighboring communities to attend and bring their families. It has really became a great event that only gets better every year.”
Schaefer said this year marks the second year of the event including the Fire & Ice display.
“The display is an eight foot tower of ice that will have flames inside,” she said. “It’s really a beautiful display and a great thing to do to end the event.”
Lee Penvose, of Vermilion, was at the Ice-A-Fair for the first time.
“I’m excited to be here,” he said. “The sculptors are absolutely incredible. It’s hard to believe the amount of detail and artistry that goes into them. Being new to Vermilion, I’m excited to go into the shops and see everything downtown has to offer.”
Ellen Huston, also of Vermilion, feels the Ice-A-Fair is another great local tradition.
“A good amount of the community is here and having a good time,” she said. “It’s rare that you see something like this, especially this time of year. I always look forward to seeing everyone for the community. It’s really fun.”
Chocolate Festival celebrates library’s centennial
The Friends of the Ritter Public Library in Vermilion held their annual Chocolate Festival, Feb. 3, to coincide with the city’s Ice-A-Fair.
“The Chocolate Festival serves as a fundraiser to support the library,” said Patty Kishman, communications manager at Ritter. “This is the eleventh year of the event and it is a way to bring people into the library who normally wouldn’t.”
Kishman said the chocolates are baked by community members.
“We have a lot of great volunteers who baked or helped out in some capacity,” she said. “We couldn’t have done it without them.”
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