(Photo by Gwen Sour) Tyson Whistler begins carving a new sculpture at the Glenwood Community Ice Festival on Saturday on the Armory lawn.

Downtown Marietta sparkled with icy brilliance Saturday as the ninth annual Glenwood Community Ice Festival, hosted by Marietta Main Street, delighted hundreds.

The festival features the work of renowned ice sculptor Tyson Whistler, from Whistler Ice Works.

According to Jennifer Tinkler of Marietta Main Street, the festival started as a typical First Friday event but quickly outgrew that format.

“It was just too big to be a First Friday, so we made it a standalone event,” she said.

Whistler’s sculptures start as 300-pound blocks of ice which he carves with a Dremel tool and chainsaw to create each piece. This year, Whistler’s live sculpture project was a phoenix, which he stated would take him around five hours to complete.

(Photo by Gwen Sour) The crowd at the Glenwood Community Ice Festival watches Tyson Whistler use a chainsaw to carve his newest sculpture on the Armory lawn.

In addition to the live ice carving on the Armory’s lawn, 19 premade ice sculptures were installed outside of local businesses on Front and Second Streets.

Onlookers to the festival shared their enthusiasm.

“It’s amazing to see the process up close,” said David Thompson, a Marietta resident. “Watching Tyson work is like seeing magic happen. The way he uses a chainsaw to create such fine detail is truly something special.”

“Everybody loves watching that and walking around and seeing the amazing work that he does,” said Tinkler. “We hope it’s a fun event for the community.”

In addition to the Ice Festival, Marietta Main Street organizes several other signature events throughout the year, including a music festival in July and October’s inaugural Dachshund Derby.

(Photo by Gwen Sour) This ice sculpture from the Glenwood Community Ice Festival was sponsored by Sips Coffee Truck.

More information on upcoming events with Marietta Main Street and how to volunteer is available online at www.mariettamainstreet.org.

(Photo by Gwen Sour) An ice sculpture outside of Peoples Bank during the Glenwood Community Ice Festival features cold, hard cash.