Out & About: A few raindrops can’t dampen Ligonier Ice Fest spirit
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You could say organizers of the Ligonier Ice Fest are like the dedicated mail carriers of the U.S. Postal Service: “Neither rain, nor sleet, nor dark of night shall stay (them) from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.”
Rain — both light and heavy — fell upon the 29th annual event as it opened Jan. 25 on the Ligonier Diamond, but visitors came and the show went on.
“I’m a little disappointed with the weather, but it’s January in Western Pennsylvania,” said festival chairwoman Cindy Purnell. “You never know what you’re gonna get.”
“It’s good; it’s fine. We’ve had a pretty good crowd,” said ice carver Robert Higareda of DiMartino Ice Co. in Jeannette, which has supplied sculptures for the festival since its inception.”
A steady stream of visitors circled the Diamond to view the icy art, as carvers stationed in the gazebo and at points around the Diamond worked to create even more.
They grabbed Hanson’s Original Kettle Korn to munch as they strolled, or hopped on a horse-drawn sleigh from Misty Haven Carriage for a turn around the historic borough.
Shops and restaurants drew them in, as did the Town Hall, where the local firemen served spaghetti and Big Fat Jazz played some, well, big fat jazz.
Visitors included a group of Pittsburgh’s Syria Shriners with their consorts, including Mike and Ardie Mammay, Bob and Paige Herbert, Donald and Debra Green, John and Vicki Handshue, Pete Simonoff and Audrey Granny. The Shriners and their motorcycles and mini-cars are a longtime viewer favorite in the annual Fort Ligonier Days parade.
Also seen: Carol Schlotter, Lauren Spencer, Leanne Salava, Tom and Linda Hartley, Tom and Stacie Hartley with kids Meghan and Logan, Ed and Elaine Valentas, Jim and Joan Hodson and, watching carver Jared McAlister, his wife Carly Lunoe, sister Adrienne McAlister and Michael and Renee Tabak.