St. Joe Today Welcomes the 15th Annual Magical Ice Fest

One thing is certain, you’ll never come up short on a water view of some sort when you visit the community of St. Joseph. While the city is most well known for its water view of Silver Beach, the famous North Pier Lighthouse and broad stretches of the St. Joseph River and its inner harbor, this weekend is reserved for a more solid form of water. As in ice. Lots and lots of ice.

True enough that Mother Nature provided us with way more natural ice than even the heartiest of us would care to deal with on an ongoing basis, the fun that ice plays this weekend is typically nothing short of spectacular.

As St. Joe — the four season water wonderland overlooking Lake Michigan and our nearby rivers — rolls out the red carpet for visitors this afternoon and for the balance of the weekend ahead, there will be something for virtually everybody to enjoy during the 15th Annual Magical Ice Fest presented by Silver Beach Pizza.

Ice competitions, a breathtaking Fire & Ice display and 5K Chocolate Walk/Run are just some of the morning-‘til-night reasons to bring family and friends to this frosty, fun-filled weekend.

Amy Zapal, Executive Director at St. Joseph Today, summed it up, “If you need a cure for the winter blues, this is it!” She adds that local hotels turn it into a great mid-winter getaway for families with children or a romantic pre-Valentine weekend for couples.

The winter festivities begin today, Friday, February 1st with professional carvers creating their artistic creations from blocks of ice on downtown streets from 5:30-til-7:30 pm. Visitors can also participate in the SnowBiz Scavenger Hunt running through Sunday. An entry form listing all of the logo sculptures and contest details is available at the St. Joseph Today Welcome Center at 301 State Street. Completing the hunt puts you in the running for a $25 St. Joseph Today gift certificate good at more than 40 locations.

Immediately following the competition tonight, the winter night will glimmer and glow at 7:30 pm with an amazing tower of both Fire & Ice, sponsored by Shadowland on Silver Beach, at the intersection of State and Pleasant Streets in the central business district. Then from 8 pm to midnight, adults can enjoy the 9th Annual Fire and Ice Party at Shadowland on Silver Beach, located below the bluff a 333 Broad Street. The evening, for ages 18 and up, includes a cash bar, tropical martini ice luge, pizza from Silver Beach Pizza, live entertainment by 27 Productions and more. A highlight of the evening will be the Aloha Chicago Fire Performers at 9:15 and 10:30 pm. There is a $10 cover charge.

The fun continues, tomorrow, Saturday, February 2nd, with ice carving competitions from 8 am to 4 pm. At 9 am, runners and walkers can also melt a few pounds in the Sixth Annual Ice Fest 5K Chocolate Walk/Run presented by the Sunset Coast Striders. Money raised will benefit the Cycle-Re-Cycle in St. Joseph. For more information about this chip-timed event and a complete list of sponsors, click the link below:

https://thedriven.net/event.race_reg/eid/17603013568?

The weekend’s ice carving competition truly heats up with the Seventh Annual Ice Wars from 4:30 to 6:00 pm tomorrow at State and Pleasant Streets. Professional carvers will battle it out in 15-minute bouts of ice carving frenzy. The crowd will determine who wins the “Best Sculpture” title.

Keeping with the magical theme, magician John Dudley will perform throughout the day tomorrow, Saturday. Check with the Welcome Center or the St. Joe Today website for a list of times and locations. Plus guests of all ages are encouraged to take a magical photo on a throne of ice at the corner of Pleasant and State sponsored by area hotels.

Silver Beach Center at 333 Broad Street will also add to the entertainment with its annual scoff-the-cold Waikiki Weekend. They will crank up the heat and turn the carousel house into a tropical paradise through Sunday. Visitors are encouraged to wear their favorite island clothing and flip flops. Watch for more details at silverbeachcarousel.com.

Zapal says downtown restaurants and wineries will serve up a variety of foods and beverages to keep festivalgoers warm as they do their ice sculpture tours. Many shops will also offer specials to entice downtown visitors indoors. She adds that the John and Dede Howard Ice Arena at 2414 Willa Drive, will offer open skating times and skate rentals throughout the weekend for more ice fun, adding, “Of course, the natural, wintry beauty of Lake Michigan and the St. Joseph River is magical, too.”

This year’s Interactive and Snow Biz sponsors include the following: