Main Street in Historic St. Charles will be hosting the 12th annual Fete de Glace (pronounced Fet-de-Glass) competition on Jan. 29. Each year, the Fete de Glace organizers hope for a cold overcast day, but even on a sunny, hot day or humid, rainy day, the Festival will still be in occurrence. Fete de Glace, also known as the Festival of Ice, is free, and is held outdoors on the 100-200 block of North Main Street from 9:30 am to 3:00 pm. During this festival, spectators are allowed to watch professional and amateur ice sculptures transform 100 to 200 pound blocks of ice into works of art. This event is known to be family-friendly and even has fire pits and warm drinks available to the public.

“I think it’s family-friendly and anyone can go,” Holly Tate, a viewer, said. “It was fun to see all the creativity that all the ice sculptures had, and it was cool to see how they made it look so easy when everyone knew it was really difficult.”

During the competition, the carvers make sculptures that please a variety of people such as Dragons, Winnie the Pooh and even King Kong, because ultimately the crowd will decide the winners. The carvers all use different tools ranging from chain saws, sanders, hand saws and wood carving tools.

“Last year I did a tiger balancing on a ball standing on its front paws for a Circus theme,” Ice Cuisine competitor Terrence Hamner said.

According to Ice Champion John Russell, of Ice Visions in Kirkwood, the spectators make the Festival special. Russell was the winner of the “professional single” and team categories in 2010. He enjoys interacting with the crowd while he carves.
“There are really nice people there, and I enjoy carving in front of them,” Russell said.
Currently, Hamner and Russell do not know what they plan on carving for this year’s competition, but one thing’s certain; ice will fly.

By Christy Maupin