ASHLAND – Those brave enough to venture out Saturday found their reward in downtown Loudonville at the annual Mohican Winterfest.
The weather was ideal for outdoor ice sculpting, said Angela Mathie.
“It’s cloudy and cold. These sculptures will last a long time,” said Mathie, a Loudonville native who gave an ice carving demonstration during the festival Saturday.
Most of the dozens of sculptures that lined the streets downtown and adorned Central Park were carved by staff of Elegant Ice Creations of Broadview HeightS. But Mathie loves to help out with Winterfest when she can, showing off her talents to a hometown crowd.
“It’s so much fun. I really enjoy it,” Mathie said. “I never get to pick what I carve at Winterfest, so it’s always a challenge.”
Mathie spent about an hour carving her block of ice into a beautiful butterfly. It was her first time carving an insect, she said.
Meanwhile, carver Jeff Myers scooped up ice chunks left over from the piece and carved names into them as temporary souvenirs for kids in the crowd.
“It’s really neat that the kids are able to participate a little bit and get their names done. That was unexpected,” said Danielle, mother to 11-year-old Allie and 9-year-old Emrick, of Ashland. The family was disappointed to learn the Loudonville Public Library’s penguin program had been cancelled due to weather, but they still had a good time and said they would com back again.
Laura and Jon Markel, of Loudonville, came to Winterfest for the first time Saturday, along with their 4-year-old daughter, Ellie, and their one-year-old sons, Sawyer and A.J.
“We wanted to see the ice sculptures,” Laura said. “The past couple years it’s been so warm we haven’t been able to.”
But this year, John added, “It could be a little warmer.”
In addition to the outdoor attractions, Winterfest offered plenty of opportunities to step inside and out of the cold. The Cleo Redd Fisher Museum and the Workman Cabin in Central Park both were open for tours, a model train expo took place in Hans Event Center, and downtown businesses opened their doors to welcome visitors.
The festival continues Sunday with ice sculptures on display all day and the train expo from noon to 4 p.m.
Also Sunday, Mohican Trails Club will have its 13th annual Mohican Winter Hike starting at 10 a.m. at Mohican State Park. The hike begins at the Mohican State Park commissary, located at the park’s Class A campground on Ohio 3 just south of Loudonville.
Three hikes — a 5K, a 10K and an interpretive hike — are planned. After the hike, participants can warm up by a fire with soup, cookies and drinks at the commissary.
