CLARKS SUMMIT, Pa. — Chainsaws cut through the first block of ice Friday afternoon, and it will be transformed into a work of art. It's one of 50 ice sculptures that will decorate the area this weekend for the 20th Clarks Summit Festival of Ice.
Scarlett Figueroa, age 4, and her mom and grandmother stopped to see the ice carving ahead of the festival.
"It looks so cool!"
This year's theme is "Jurassic Ice," so all the sculptures will be dinosaurs.
Elijah Hogan, the head carver at Sculpted Ice Works, says the weather conditions aren't perfect for ice, but they're working around the challenges as they carve.
"Dry, cold conditions are the best, but this specifically, we have muddy, uneven terrain, so the joints don't line up perfectly. Those are the main concerns as we're carving," Hogan said.
"Instead of them being tall, they might be a little wider. We don't want them to break. We want them to melt gracefully," said Janice Bevacqua, a board member of the Abington Business and Professional Association (ABPA).
This event draws big crowds each year, no matter the weather, which is good for businesses that may be slower this time of year.
Marsha Parrish says she and her family look forward to this event.
"The community coming together and people out walking around the businesses and check out what's going on there," Parrish said.
"I just love seeing all the people coming out and enjoying a winter day, being with the family experiencing it, the looks on kids' faces," Bevacqua added. "I can't wait for them to see these dinosaurs!"
WNEP is a media partner for the Clarks Summit Festival of Ice.