BELFAST, Maine — Anyone looking for something to do this weekend can check out the Midcoast, where the Belfast Ice Festival is back for another year of fun.
The event is made possible by Our Town Belfast and is free to the public.
For the second year in a row, the city's entire downtown will be decked out with ice bars and ice sculptures. And this year's event will even include an ice sculpting competition. Organizers are hoping for better weather but say despite the rain last year, the festival wasn't a total washout.
"Unfortunately, it was almost 50 degrees and raining, but that didn't deter people," organizer Zach Schmesser said. "It was a smashing success despite the weather, so we're really looking to just build on that."
Grant money from the Maine Office of Tourism helped the team market the event and built out the schedule to make the weekend as jam-packed as possible for folks, Schmesser said.
Also returning this year is Jesse Bouchard. Bouchard owns Frozen in Time Ice Sculpting in New Gloucester and is the man behind all the ice at the festival. He has been mesmerized by ice since he was a teenager.
"I was a dishwasher at the Sable Oaks Marriott, and the chef was carving with a gas-powered chainsaw," Bouchard said. "It's loud. It's fun. And when he was cutting ice, it was shooting it like it was a squirt gun with snow, so I was addicted."
Over the years, Bouchard has created hundreds of massive ice sculptures and bars. The ice blocks can weigh upwards of 300 pounds, and carving the displays takes hours. It's something that takes skill, precision, and the right kind of tools.
"Most clients are asking for an ice bar or, 'I want my logo of my hotel or of my restaurant in it. I want a luge that I can pour martinis through,'" Bouchard said. "The Brunswick hotel this year had a fire and ice [event], so I did some ice crystals and some flames, and we did a phoenix carving."
Bouchard will share his tricks of the trade and finished products all weekend at the Belfast Ice Festival. Organizers are excited to have him and the event back for round two.
"People are just so excited," Schmesser said. "I think this time of year, even if you're not dealing with the pandemic, people are ready to get out of the house. So, at the very least, it's a great opportunity just to get out and get some exercise and see the city's great sculptures."