CHAMBERSBURG, PA – More than 15,000 people will flock to Downtown Chambersburg for dancing, dining and fun while marveling at over 80 ice sculptures glistening on the sidewalks of Main Street. It’s the 16thAnnual IceFest in downtown Chambersburg, presented by M&T Bank – one of the largest winter festivals in Pennsylvania. This year’s festival will be from Thursday, January 25 through Sunday, January 28 bringing in more than 20 tons of ice.
“IceFest offers a fun, lively atmosphere, breathing life into our Main Street during the dreary winter months,” said Amy Weibley, president of Downtown Chambersburg Inc. “Residents love to have something exciting to do, visitors relish our small-town charm and businesses benefit from the boom in customers during an otherwise slow time of year. With the amount of people we attract for the festival, the entire local economy benefits – from merchants and hotels to restaurants and more.”
Penny Shaul, owner of the downtown store Here’s Looking At You and IceFest committee chair, said, “IceFest is definitely a boost to sales for downtown merchants, which is why many of us try to take advantage of the crowds by offering specials and expanding hours during the festival.”
To kick-off the festivities, a ribbon cutting is scheduled for 5 p.m. on Thursday, January 25 on the Courthouse Plaza. A live carve-off will follow, featuring a head-to-head battle between local resident, Danny Kissel, and an ice sculptor from DiMartino Ice Company. DiMartino Ice Company carves all of the sculptures on display for IceFest ’18, including live ice carvings on Thursday and Friday nights from 5 to 8 p.m. Ice sculptures are sponsored by local businesses.
In addition to the ice sculptures, live ice carvings and FREE double-wide ice slide, this year’s IceFest has the largest number of events scheduled in the festival’s history! Events held during IceFest include the Snowfall Ball, Chili Cook-Off, Icing on the Cake, Polar Dunk Plunge, Frozen Flicks, Kids’ Zone, Run Your Ice Off 5K, live glass blowing and much more. See the full schedule at www.icefestpa.com.
Chambersburg’s IceFest has become a regional destination event that people look forward to annually. Visitors come from Harrisburg, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., York County and more. Special hotel packages are available during IceFest at the Holiday Inn Express, 717-709-9009, and Country Inn & Suites, 717-261-0900. Call and ask for the IceFest special.
IceFest is an important community fundraiser for three local nonprofits: Chambersburg Council for the Arts, the Downtown Business Council and Downtown Chambersburg Inc. The Borough of Chambersburg assists these three organizations with coordination of the event.
For more information, visit www.icefestpa.com. Maps with an events schedule will be available at the Chambersburg Heritage Center and Gift Shop, 100 Lincoln Way East, and other locations downtown.
SOURCE: Icefest
