BETHEL, Maine — A man who lives in Maine and is embarking on a new adventure is adhering to one cliché while doing so: If at first you don't succeed, try again. It's a saying that speaks to him as he undertakes the unusual challenge of building an ice castle for Mainers to enjoy.
Lester Spear is originally from New Hampshire but is now based in Maine. Typically, he spends his days closer to the coast in Boothbay, but this winter he has been tucked away in a shack — with a heater — in the western mountains, working on a project that he's excited about.
"The Bethel community has been fantastic," Spear said. "People [are] going out of their way to come support what we're doing and are really looking forward to seeing it come to fruition in the town. I think it will be a great addition to the community."
Spear is talking about Northeast Ice Palaces, an ice castle he has been building since summer. He became interested in the idea in 2019 and set up a smaller display in the Boothbay area last year.
This year, he wanted to set up his display closer to skiing resorts and snowmobile trails and ended up connecting with the owners of Bethel Outdoor Adventure and Campground.
"We actually build a frame out of ice. A lot of people think that we might have some sort of super-structure here, but our super-structure is ice," Spear said. "We build that super-structure, and then we run close to a couple miles of water pipe, and then we overspray our structure with the water and hope that it freezes in the shapes that we want — and we end up with nature's artwork here."
Taking on this project hasn't come without challenges. Spear said the weather this winter has been tough to deal with because of fluctuating temperatures. He likens the process to "maintaining a giant plumbing system in the middle of winter" while outdoors.
"Really, our greatest challenge, believe it or not, is keeping water from freezing," Spear said. "It's easy to make it freeze when it's cold, obviously, but the challenge is keeping it liquid until it gets to where you want it. That's the hardest part right now."
Spear said he's also in need of more workers. Five to 10 people help out regularly, but he said he needs closer to 15, especially once the ice castle opens to the public and food trucks arrive.
Spear said the upfront cost is "pretty steep" — in the hundreds of thousands of dollars — because of the initial outlay, but he's hoping to continue opening the Northeast Ice Palace for years to come. Eventually, he wants to add other winter recreation activities like sleigh rides and sled dog rides.
"I roll the dice a lot. I'm definitely a gambler. I love a challenge, and I believe in teamwork and pulling people together. And when you have a common mission, people do amazing things," said Spear.
The website for the Northeast Ice Palace shows tickets are available starting on Friday, February 11. You can find out more about getting tickets here.