Letter to the editor

Fri, 03/04/2022 - 5:00pm

Zach Schmesser

To anyone who sponsored, visited, supported, participated, or played a role in this past weekend's Belfast Ice Festival and State of Maine Ice Carving Championships in downtown Belfast, Maine, Thank you! Record crowds of friendly people visited downtown Belfast under blue skies despite the cold temperatures.

When the idea of an Ice Festival was first thought of, no one planning the event could have imagined what took place last weekend. Thousands of smiling people visited our downtown to experience three-hundred-pound ice blocks transformed into all sorts of designs. But, more than that, what happened was our community came together.

We owe special thanks and deep appreciation to Ryan Otis and Tina DelSanto, two downtown restaurant owners in Belfast. Both rolled up their sleeves and embraced a shared vision of what this event could be. They took the lead, including getting others on board to participate. They are committed to the future of this community and we are lucky to have their leadership on this event and many other things that they quietly support.

Thank you and congratulations to all who participated in the 1st State of Maine Ice Carving Championship. Special congratulations to the 1st State of Maine Ice Carving Championship winners; Addison Godine, Maddy Godine, Eileen Moscoso, Jamar Williams, and Louisa Marks for their creation “Connecting.”

A special thanks to the City of Belfast Public Works Department crew under the direction of Director Bob Richards. When 8” of snow fell on Belfast Friday during the day, and the evening, The Public Works crew was out making sure the roads and parking areas were ready to go for Saturday. If that wasn’t enough, the crew came back early Saturday morning to haul off the snow that fell on Friday. By the time people arrived downtown, it was not evident it had snowed.

When it was clear it would snow on Friday, the Belfast City Council agreed in the 11th hour to allow for the closure of Federal street for sledding. This street provided hours of fun and set up an epic race between Officer Tribuzio of the Belfast Police Department and a group of local kids on Saturday afternoon.

In addition to the impromptu sledding opportunity, many groups offered free children’s activities throughout the weekend, including Belfast Fiberarts, Kids Unplugged, Waldo County YMCA, Universal Unitarian Church, Jacki Cassida and Nordic Aquafarms, Waldo Community Action Partners, The Colonial Theater, Belfast Parks and Recreation, and the Belfast Area Chamber of Commerce. Coastal Mountains Land Trust event offered an ice luminary walk on the Rail Trail on Saturday evening.

The stars of the festival were our talented ice carvers. Starting Thursday afternoon, Jesse Bouchard, Tim Pierce, Hector Pietra-Santa, Max Bouchard shaped over 16,000 pounds of ice into mermaids, salmon, lighthouses, ice bars, and more. Thank you for lending your skill and talents to the Belfast Ice Festival.

And thanks to our event sponsors:

Our presenting sponsor Nordic Aquafarms