When OppOsites attract –
the
lititz
&
Fire Ice
After seven consecutive years of celebration, the Lititz Fire and Ice Festival, held each President’s Day weekend, shows no signs of cooling off. In fact, the brainchild of former downtown Lititz business owners Dawn Rissmiller and Tammy Boltz is really starting to sizzle. The festival, which will be held from Friday, Feb. 15, through Sunday, Feb. 17, combines the crystalline ice creations of Ernie DiMartino from Jeannette, Pa., with spicy chili dishes prepared by 20 area chefs, each vying for a coveted prize while working to raise funds for a nonprofit organization of his or her choice. A winter carnival and dodgeball tournament have been added to the events to round out the weekend. DiMartino
and his crew of three or four arrive on Thursday and begin piling blocks of ice on top of one another to solidify for carving. Smaller statues arrive already carved, but the larger statues that Rissmiller calls “giants” are carved live on Friday evening when the block party begins at 5 p.m. “It’s both a block party and a block of ice party,”
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laughed Rissmiller, referring to the dual nature of the event. Since the Friday night portion has grown substantially over the last few years (Rissmiller cites exceptional weather as the reason crowds numbering in the thousands have gathered in the downtown area), the ice sculpture portion of the celebration will move to Lititz Springs Park, 18 N. Broad St., in 2013. The idea of expanding to encompass the park dates back to the DiMartino Ice Company’s first visit to the town, when they suggested that the festival take place on Main and Broad along with the park. “When I would think of the park, I would think of the lights being out and all these ice sculptures illuminating the park,” said Rissmiller. “And that’s what we’re doing. We will illuminate the ice from the bottom up.”
Festival
In addition to live ice carving, the block party includes entertainment by a fire eater, international food vendors along with traditional Lancaster
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