Ice sculptures create winter wonderland during weekend festival
(Photo by Clara Noelle)Humane Society of the Ohio Valley representatives Eden Durham and Lily Krajewski show off pitbull terrier Nessa and German shepherd Molly, who are available through adoption, during Marietta’s Ice Festival Saturday.
(Photo by Clara Noelle) Local coffee shop Jeremiah’s and boutique Threadz hosted the sternwheeler ice sculpture made by Tyson Whistler during Saturday’s Ice Festival in Marietta.
(Photo by Douglass Huxley) Local artist, and owner of Whistler Ice Works Tyson Whistler works on an ice sculpture Saturday for his live demonstration during Marietta’s Ice Festival.
(Photo by Art Smith) An ice grand piano in front of the Peoples Bank Theatre.
(Photo by Art Smith) Tyson Whistler carves an ice sculpture at the Marietta Ice Festival Saturday in front of the armory on Front Street.
(Photo by Clara Noelle)Humane Society of the Ohio Valley representatives Eden Durham and Lily Krajewski show off pitbull terrier Nessa and German shepherd Molly, who are available through adoption, during Marietta’s Ice Festival Saturday.
(Photo by Clara Noelle) Local coffee shop Jeremiah’s and boutique Threadz hosted the sternwheeler ice sculpture made by Tyson Whistler during Saturday’s Ice Festival in Marietta.
(Photo by Douglass Huxley) Local artist, and owner of Whistler Ice Works Tyson Whistler works on an ice sculpture Saturday for his live demonstration during Marietta’s Ice Festival.
(Photo by Art Smith) An ice grand piano in front of the Peoples Bank Theatre.
(Photo by Art Smith) Tyson Whistler carves an ice sculpture at the Marietta Ice Festival Saturday in front of the armory on Front Street.
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Marietta hosted its annual Ice Festival Saturday.
Every year in January, Marietta Main Street brings in Tyson Whistler of Whistler Ice Works to sculpt ice for small businesses in the area. This year's sponsor was Glenwood Community with Lisa Casto attending as their representative.
"Us sponsoring these events shows partnership and a sense of community," Casto said.
The Ice Festival is a popular topic among residents at Glenwood, some of whom attended the event.
Whistler has been sculpting ice for the past 15 years. During a live demonstration Saturday, he crafted a swordfish from two 300-pound blocks of ice.
Whistler estimated it would last the weekend if temperatures continued in the high 20s to low 30s.
Whistler goes through a specific process to get the best sculpture he can achieve. First he sketches out the design before carving a two-dimensional drawing into the block of ice.
Whistler then transforms that into a three-dimensional3D shape, then adds finishing details.
Whistler enjoyed painting and woodworking. He started in the culinary field when someone needed an ice sculpture for an event and, knowing he had a past in art, asked him to do the job.
"I immediately fell in love with the art," Whistler said. "After that initial job, I started doing it for fun."
Whistler said he would like to start tackling bigger pieces and a larger audience. His dream pieces are a life-size chess set with movable parts and an eight-foot-tall seascape. Events like the Ice Festival really help his business and his creativity.
The Marietta-Washington County Convention and Visitor Bureau had an ice sculpture of books on display, one of them in particular being David McCullough's "The Pioneers," which tells the story of the beginning of Marietta. "The Pioneers" was published in 2019 and has brought many tourists to Marietta, as does the Ice Festival, said Deanna Clark, with the CVB.
A few attendees said they had talked to people out of town that came in for the festival. Tayla Kamp-Hays, daughter of the owner of Threadz, said the Ice Festival ups their customer count.
"The Ice Festival really makes the cold winter worth it," she said.
Threadz neighbor Jeremiah's Coffee House pitched in to pay for the sternwheeler ice sculpture outside their shops.
The Ice Festival not only benefits small businesses but also the Humane Society of the Ohio Valley.
They brought Nessa, a 3-year-old pitbull terrier; Molly, a 3-year-old German shepherd; and Alaska, a 3-year-old husky, to the festival in hopes of getting the pups a forever home.
Nessa, who is not fond of cats but gets along with children and other dogs, first came to the shelter in November of 2022.
Molly, who is anti-cat but likes kids and dogs alike, came to the shelter in September after her owner died. Alaska, whose tolerance is unknown, was brought to the shelter by the sheriff's office in early January.
The Ohio Valley Humane Society welcomes all donations. They appreciate cleaning supplies, specifically bleach, and Purina pet food.
Clara Noelle can be reached at intern@newsandsentinel.com