CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. — Today, families from across Franklin County came together to watch sculptors make artwork from blocks of ice.
It’s part of the 21st annual Chambersburg IceFest, which featured hundreds of ice sculptures, good music, and great food.
“[The kids] like the sledding, going down the ice slide, that’s their favorite part. We, of course, come for the food and to walk around," said Tim McVay, who attends the Ice Fest with his family every year.
“This is one of the bigger events that I’ve been a part of recently," said Jeff Keiser, one of the sculptors.
Keiser has been carving ice sculptures for 32 years and travels to ice shows across the country. He says his ice crew spent many hours transferring over 47 tons of ice to Chambersburg.
“It’s a lot of energy to get it all stacked and ready to go," said Keiser. "It takes time, it takes a good team of guys that work together to get the job done.”
The weather at the Chambersburg IceFest is expected to be warmer than usual this year. Temperatures are expected to hover around the mid-40s throughout the weekend.
“It’s probably the warmest year since we’ve been down here," said McVay. "It’s very comfortable compared to most years, for sure.”
Keiser says in the event the weather gets too warm, organizers will wrap the sculptures and apply dry ice. However, he believes the ice sculptures will stay together through the weekend.
“The one thing that’s working in our favor this week is that it’s overcast," said Keiser. "If it was sunny, the sun would rip the ice apart.”
Over 118 sculptures will be on display in downtown Chambersburg through Saturday.