ELY- It’s one of Ely’s longest-running annual events, but it never gets old. The Ely Winter Festival is finally here, kicking off on Thursday, Feb. 1, when the snow sculptors start their magic to transform 14 giant cubes of snow into creations of wonder.
The event will take place this year under remarkably balmy temperatures and while that might be good news for visitors, it’s a challenge for the sculptors. The recent thaw and lack of snow has already caused the festival to cancel the amateur portion of the snow sculpting, but the professionals will carry on despite the temperatures.
“The city of Ely was able to source enough snow,” explained festival coordinator Shauna Vega, “from the airport, the cemetery, and parking lots.” That allowed the city to fill all 14 of the eight-foot by eight-foot wooded forms, which sprang up in Whiteside Park in the middle of January.
The conditions haven’t discouaged the snow sculptors like Franzi Agrawal, the German champion snow sculptor and graphic designer who is returning to sculpt once again this year. And two new teams have joined the line-up for this year, both from Canada.
“The sculptors start working on Thursday,” Vega said, “and they should be done with their creations by Saturday night.
Opening Ceremony
The festival will have its official “kickoff” ceremony on Friday, Feb. 2, at 6 p.m. in Whiteside Park. The annual ceremony involves the arrival of the festival torch, which “glides into the park,” according to the festival event schedule.
The schedule is available as a booklet from the Ely Winter Festival headquarters at Northern Grounds, near the corner of Sheridan and Central, or online at elywinterfestival.com. Most of the winter festival activities occur during the first two weeks of the February but some last all month. Activities include events at the Dorothy Molter Museum (see p. 7 of this edition), snowshoeing, blacksmithing lessons, craft lessons, concerts, the annual Ely ArtWalk, and the Ely Film Festival.
Before the opening ceremony, stop by St. Anthony’s Church, for the Ely Community Resource (ECR) fundraiser spaghetti dinner, from 4-6 p.m., and pack in the comfort food. The ECR is a nonprofit focused on helping Ely’s youth, running after-school activities, reading, and tutoring programs and summer programs for kids.
After the opening ceremony, head over to the jazz concert at Washington Auditorium (details on page 7 of this edition), or stick around at Whiteside Park for the U.S. Mölkky Winter Championship. More information on the game can be found at the website of the International Mölkky Organization, at mölkky.world, where the tournament in Ely is listed.
ArtWalk
The Ely ArtWalk, an integral part of the winter festival, gets officially underway on Saturday, but several stores already had their art works up in their windows this week. The ArtWalk displays will remain in place through Feb. 29.
The ArtWalk, now in its 27th year, turns the city of Ely into one huge gallery and shops and organizations in town host the works of over 150 artists, displaying more than 400 works.
The ArtWalk displays are spread throughout Ely’s downtown business districts, along Sheridan St., Chapman St., Central Ave., and 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Aves. A map of the windows with art displays is available at the Ely Winter Festival headquarters at Northern Grounds.
The ArtWalk will have an opening event and reception at the Ely Folk School, at 209 E. Sheridan St., on Saturday, Feb. 3, from 3-5 p.m. This is a no-cost event and open to all. Attendees will be able to meet the artists whose works are on display at the event.
Ely Film Festival
The Ely Film Festival is going into its second year, and it has already made itself an important piece of the winter festival. As of Jan. 30, the award-winning documentary, “40 Below,” on Saturday, Feb. 10, is sold out as are several of the short film blocks. If you want tickets for any of the shows, don’t drag your feet or the films you want to see may sell out. The schedule and online tickets are available at elyfilmfest.com.