Date Of Event: February 11, 2023 (usually held annually the weekend of or before Valentine’s Day)
Location Downton Salem, MA
Cost: Free
Summary: In addition to the 24 ice sculptures that were placed around the downtown Salem area, there were festivities and activities for all to enjoy
It was that time of the year when throngs of people descend upon Salem, MA. No, I’m not referring to the Halloween season.
The Salem’s So Sweet ice sculpture event is quickly becoming one of the biggest events in the city. It’s also a great example of how Salem has become a place to visit throughout the year.
Originally, 28 sculptures were expected to be displayed. But, only 24 sculptures made it to the city.
Due to the weather conditions, it was unseasonably mild during the day, and the sun beating down on them, some of the sculptures were a little worse for the wear by the time I got to photograph them. I also like to photograph after they are lighted at 5 pm.
I was able to use my 24 mm prime lens that has an aperture of 1.4 at its lowest (most open) setting. So I didn’t have to use a tripod, although it did get a little tricky the darker it became.
I am listing them in the numerical order they were listed on their map. Also, the lights on some of the sculptures changed colors and some of the sculptures had special guests posing with them. I have also included photos of some of the sculptures when they were not lighted and when they were lighted to show the difference in the appearance of the sculptures
1Sacred Heart
2 Blackcraft’s Nydia
3 Crystal Snowflake
4 The Commonwealth’s Civic Engagement University
5 Crescent Moon Disco
6 Fish
7 Dog(and dog posing like the dog ice sculpture). The cute dog modeling for me is Grizzly, a 4 year old Bloodhound.
8 Diamond
9 Love You Evermore
10 Tooth
11 Hocus Pocus
12 Salem’s So Sweet Showcase
13 Lego Minifigure Zeke, a one year old Pyrenees and Komondor mix, was a good boy and posed for this photo for me!
14 Year Of The Rabbit
15 Cat – not available
16 Snail – not available
17 Skeleton Snowman
18 Rose
19 Gummi Bear
20 Cinderella’s Carriage
21 Pawprint
22 Dragonfly – not available
23 Peace Love & Music
24 Crystal Ball
25 Ancestry Days Tree
26 Shooting Stars
27 Seahorse
28 Polar Bear – not available (I really would have liked to see that one!)
There were also additional lights and decorative displays throughout the city. This house on Derby St (some of you know the one) is usually lit up for many of the holidays and special events
And there were these cute decorations
But, this event had so much more than pretty sculptures and decorations. In the Salem Visitors Center there was a desk set up for visitors to make Valentines for the city of Salem or for their own personal reasons.
And, if that wasn’t enough, there were warming stations, colorfully dressed guides to help you find the sculptures, a surprise movie star, a band and other activities to entertain the visitors
There was also a special activity for people of all ages to participate in called Brighter Ignite. Brighter Ignite is an illuminated traveling exhibit that encourages people to connect, engage and play. Inspired by the courage of the Maccabees in the story of Hanukkah, the exhibit was designed by artist Tova Speter. Brighter Ignited activates the light from the community and encourages us to explore how we too can stand up for what we believe in.
Below are some videos from the event. I wanted to illustrate just how pretty the sculptures looked as the changed colors!
Location: Olde Mystick Village, 27 Coogan Boulevard, Stonington, CT
Summary: Ice sculptures, ice scultpors and costumed visitors converged on the grounds of Olde Mystick Village
Don’t let the rising temperatures fool you. Winter is still very much in swing in New England. To celebrate the waning days of the winter season, Olde Mystick Village held its Ice In The Village festival. The event included over a dozen ice sculptures, two ice sculpting demonstrations and a there were even few characters straight out of Disney.
Mystic Village is known for its plethora of specialty shops and eateries. But the highlight last weekend were the ice sculptures that were installed around the village.
The sculptures ranged from artistic renderings of the animal kingdom
To carvings of food
But many of the sculptures were related to the businesses they were located in front of.
Some of the sculptures seemed to have a certain theme that fit in with the area and its history. Known for its seaport (the Mystic Seaport Museum is just a short distance from the village) Mystic has a rich nautical history. This anchor was a perfect symbol for the area.
This sculpture was popular with people who wanted to take their photos in the opening of the ice carving.
Perhaps the most popular part of the festival were the two ice sculpting demonstrations at the Ice In The Village event.
People were encouraged to wear their costumes and, fitting with the theme of ice and other cold things, Anna and Elsa made a surprise appearance.
Olde Mystick Village is a dog friendly venue and there were lots of dogs at the village during my visit. One of the dogs I saw there, Cocoa, a 9 year old Chocolate Lab, brought her own toy to the festival.
It is unclear whether they will hold this festival again in the upcoming years. But if they do I’ll see you there!
Parking: Metered street parking is available and there are two big parking garages on New Liberty St and Congress St
The Downtown Garage (New Liberty St) costs $1.50 per hour.
The Waterfront Garage (Congress St) costs $.75 per hour on weekdays and $1.50 per hour on weekends
Both garages operate from 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM Sunday through Wednesday and from 7:00 AM to 2:00 AM Thursday through Saturday.
Public Transportation: The MBTA’s Commuter Rail has a stop which deposits its passengers right at Washington St. $15 for a round trip ticket from North Station (fares vary depending upon where you leave from and where you are going)
The snow, ice and cold weather didn’t prevent countless revelers from heading to Salem for the annual Salem So Sweet ice sculpture celebration. In fact, it made for the ideal conditions.
For the past 19 years, Salem has been brightening up the winter days with a ice sculpture festival, highlighted by a special illumination show on the day they arrive.
Much like everything this past tear, everything seemed different and not just because of the obvious. The crowds were smaller, there was a less jovial feel to the event and it wasn’t as festive as in the past. While smaller crowds can be a plus for visitors and especially for visitors with a camera, it didn’t feel right. I’d rather wait and even jostle for a photograph and feel a more fun atmosphere. I suppose that is to be expected these days though. The crowds seemed to ebb and then gather sporadically. But it did seem to be a much smaller crowd this year.
The sculptures were delivered around noontime on the 6th. But, the celebration really heats up during the late afternoon and early evening. From 5 pm to 9 pm on Saturday the sculptures were illuminated. They are only lit up for these 4 hours. So it does attract a busy night time crowd. Although, of course, with most bars closed or operating with heavy restrictions, the night crowd was noticeably smaller.
Unfortunately, the ice sculptures are removed on Valentine’s Day, February 14. So you’ll have to wait until next year, when things are expected to be closer to “normal” to see the sculptures in person.
There were also fewer ice sculptures this year than in the past. Last year there were 26 sculptures. This year 17 sculptures adorned the streets of Salem. However, a few of them were either damaged, had melted substantially because of the warmer weather and sunlight during the day or, in one case, completely broken.
But, I did my best to photograph the sculptures that were available.
I have skipped a few that were too damaged or completed destroyed and one I forgot about because it was too far away (# 17 “Bakery”)
1 “Owl And Moon”
This owl, which was located near Witch City Wicks on Essex St probably looked better before it was illuminated since the sun helped to melt it and obscure some of its features. That was a common theme as you will see in some of these photos. It’s a trade off. Either take the photos of the sculptures when they are fresh and haven’t melted and haven’t been mutilated or wait until the are illuminated when they look, in my estimation, much prettier. I may take photos of the sculptures before and after illumination next year to avoid this from happening again.
2 The World
If you attend the ice sculpture festival each year, you may notice some of the same companies or organizations use the same type of sculptures each year like this sculpture also on Essex St. The Journeymasters, a travel agency company, usually has a sculpture of a globe with a star or some other kind of fanciful design around it.
3 “Thanking All Alumni On The Front Lines”
This sculpture, sponsored by Salem State University whose sports teams are named the Vikings, was located on Essex St near the Bewitched statue at Lappin Park. It was dedicated to the front line and first responders who graduated from the university’
4 Kids In Snow
Located in front of Salem Cycle on Washington St, this ice sculpture depicts two children sledding.
5 Fish
This sculpture of a fish was appropriately located next to Turner’s Seafood on Church St
6 Joan Of Arc Sword And Shield
Located outside of Coon’s Card & Gift Shop on Essex, this sculpture was dedicated to Joan of Arc.
7 Sweets
This sculpture, located on Front St, had an actual rose near the top of the sculpture. It also accurately depicts how, while the sculpture look even more stunning at night, they can be much more difficult to photograph the darker it gets even with a tripod and careful photoshop editing. It wasn’t even that late either. I think it was close to 6:30 pm when this photo was taken. But it does get dark pretty early in these parts during the winter.
8 Rocking Horse
Nothing anything different or weird about this rocking horse sculpture which was located on Front St? Don’t lose your head trying to think.
Yes, this rocking horse is missing it’s neck and head. Although it was a little warm (by winter in New England standards) and the sun was beating on the sculptures during the day, this sculpture’s head didn’t melt off. It was almost certainly the act of vandalism or damaged during delivery.
11 2021 Picture Frame
Located on Central St, this sculpture was famous for people and sometimes their pets posing in together
12 Gingerbread House
This sculpture, located neat Witch City Mall (formerly Museum Place Mall) on Essex St, looked goof enough to eat.
13 Hello Kitty Phone
Unfortunately, the writing on the wall of the Peabody Essex Museum on Essex St made it a little hard to show all of the features of the cat.
15 Sailboat
This was the only sculpture that wasn’t illuminated. As you can see the sun had caused it to melt quite a bit.
16 Candy
This sculpture was appropriately located across from the oldest candy company in America (Ye Olde Pepper Company) and in front of the House of The Seven Gables, this sculpture depicts a train with a cargo of candy canes.
There were helpful guides at the event to hep you find the sculptures and distribute maps showing where all the sculptures are located, although most people used the map on their map from the event’s website. Some of the helpers got into the spirit of the event.
Although she didn’t say much, Samantha was also dressed up for the event.
Although they weren’t part of the actual event, there was some other decorations that lit up the event.
This house on Derby St is famous for decorating its property for major holidays and events.
You may notice a little critter walking up the pathway. When I was photographing the decorations I noticed this little animal approaching me. Having seen cats there during previous photo shoots at this location, I thought nothing of it until it got right in front of me. Yeah it’s a skunk. Fortunately there was a fence between us and the skunk didn’t spray. He or she just turned around and walked back the way he or she came from. It was a very close call!
The famous Jerry the dinosaur of Salem.
The city of Salem has also put up year round lighting displays that made the event even more Decorative than usual.
And this business on Derby St got into the Valentine’s Day spirit.
I look forward to photographing this extravaganza next year when things are more “normal.” But hopefully not too normal!
You can view photos from previous Salem’s Too Sweet Events that I have photographed in the past by clicking on the links below:
Salem’s known for a lot of things. But, sweet isn’t usually one of the words that come to mind. However, sweet has become an annual theme in Salem.
The 17th annual Salem’s So Sweet event kicks off with a wine and chocolate tasting gala Friday, Feb. 8. The sculptures were placed at different historical places and businesses throughout the city of Salem.
I figured today would be the perfect day to post about this sweet event, especially since some of the sculptures have a romantic theme.
I am showing the ice sculptures in the event in the same order they are listed on the attached map. I tried to photograph them all when they were lit up. But there were a few I was not able to photograph at night. There is a big difference in the way the sculptures when they are lit up. I plan on photographing them only at night in the future because of this difference.
This heartfelt sculpture of Hellboy was one of five sculptures located at Lappin Park.
This photo frame sculpture, also located at Lappin Park, was a popular sculpture. A lot of people would pose in the frame while another person took their photo.
There was some snow during my visit to Salem. This snowflake sculpture was also located at Lappin Park.
SSU (Salem State University) Graduate Snowman was, of course, sponsored by Salem State University.
I love the warm colors of the lights used to illuminate the sculptures, especially since it was so cold out during the event. These kissing fish were located outside of Turner’s Seafood.
There were also a group of sculptures located on the famous Essex Pedestrian Walkway.
This “piggy bank” sculpture was located outside of Rockafella’s.
You might think that since I frequent Salem I have dined at many of their establishments. You’d be wrong. In fact, I have only been to a few restaurants there (I used to like Victoria’s Station). I also liked Murphy’s Pub & Grill which has also closed and is becoming a “tequila bar.” In A Pig’s Eye was a pretty good restaurant too. I’m sensing a trend here. Maybe it’s best I don’t eat at the restaurants there. I may be a curse. But, I’m not much of a “foodie” or eater in general (although when I do eat, I eat my whole plate and then some). I would much rather be taking photographs than eating and I always think I may miss some cool photo opportunities while I’m eating which would really bother me. Besides, I just don’t get very hungry when I’m out in the field. I’m too focused on my job. I rarely eat at all when I go out on shoots. I have heard good things about some of the places in Salem though.
This sculpture of Cupid was located at Adriatic Restaurant and Bar on Washington St (I haven’t eaten there yet so they’re safe from my “curse”). I especially like how the lighting in the city complemented the lighting from the sculpture.
I actually missed two sculptures during my initial visit to Salem. Actually my camera batteries died (the cold weather affects camera batteries dramatically). So, I grabbed this photo the next morning. This sculpture of wine glasses was located at Stella’s Wine And Bar I especially like the subtle little details in the sculptures. Are those fangs or claws in the wine glasses?
This Mary Poppins sculpture had lights that changed colors. This sculpture was located near the Trolley Depot on Essex St.
This dove was located near the entrance to the Witch City Mall on Essex Pedestrian Walkway.
This “I Found My Heart In Salem” sculpture of the Tin Man was located at the Salem Witch Museum. This seems to be a theme with the Witch Museum. Last year they had a sculpture of Dorothy’s shoes with the phrase “There’s No Place Like Salem.”
This sculpture of a baker, which was the only sculpture that didn’t light up, was located at Coffee Time Bake Shop on Bridge St.
This sculpture, “Roots”, was located outside of the Hawthorne Hotel.
This butterfly ice sculpture was located on Union St at the Joile Tea CompanyÂ
This sculpture was located next to Bunghole Liquors. Hey I didn’t name the place. The sign for the store is probably one of the most photographed places in all of Salem. Of course this is actually a term used with wooden barrels. But it has a much different meaning for some other people apparently.
“Candy” which was located across the street from the Ye Olde Pepper Companie. There was actual candy in the dishes to the right and left of the vase.
Dogs loved the ice sculptures also. Sophie, a 5 month old mixed breed dog, had a fun time looking for the sculptures.
You can view the sculptures from the 2018 Salem’s So Sweet celebration here
Date Of Visit: January 26, 2019 (usually the last weekend of January)
Location: MGM Casino, One MGM Way, Springfield, MA and Downtown Springfield, MA area (about 2 hours west of Boston and 30 minutes north of Hartford, CT)
Cost: Free
Parking: There is parking available throughout the city and parking garages in the city. Free parking to view the ice carving demonstration is also available at the MGM Casino. Parking info available at the attached link: Parking In Springfield
Summary: Thirteen ice sculptures of various shapes and sizes carved by Joe Almeida located throughout the city of Springfield (I found 11 of them). Joe also conducted an ice carving demonstration during the Ice Invasion event. Some of the sculptures are lit up at night.
While ice is nothing unusual this time of the year in New England, there was an ice invasion of a different sort this past weekend in Springfield, MA.
This Ice Invasion was part of the American Hockey League (AHL) All Star Classic celebration which was being held at the Mass Mutual Center in Springfield, MA.
Joe Almeida of Sculptures In Ice carved all of the sculptures for the event. He kicked off the Ice Invasion with a live carving demonstration in front of the Armory in the common area on the grounds of the Saturday afternoon. Joe said the ice blocks can weigh up to as much as 300 pounds and he uses snow to write the MGM and Springfield in the sculpture. The lights at the bottom of the sculpture give the golden color which is emblematic of the MGM Casino logo.
The first sculpture at the Ice Invasion was at the outdoor skating rink at the MGM. Unfortunately, no one was skating during my visit.
Most of the sculptures were located on Main St with a few located on the side streets (see link in the description above to view a map of all of the locations).
The most appropriate sculpture was a sculpture of a hockey player wearing a Springfield Thundercats uniform.
Most of the other sculptures had a winter theme to them such as this ice sculpture of a person sledding.
And this snowflake.
While it certainly was cold and breezy, the temperatures were in the high 20s to low 30s and the sun was out. So there was some melting noticeable. In fact, it was a little hard to see some of the features of some of the sculptures and it was hard to tell what one of them was, specifically the sculpture at the Spring Museum. I think it was a dragon.
There were also two sculptures of people throwing snowballs.
This guy was very cold.
There was also wildlife at the Ice Invasion. This penguin was hanging out outside Union Station.
And this bear
All of the ice sculptures, except one, were in walking distance (although it was a fairly solid walk – my Fitbit recorded 5 miles back and forth during our stroll). But, I did drive to photograph the last sculpture at the Springfield Museum.
Something to keep in mind is that some of the sculptures on the map were not on display.
Now, sadly, we are in store for a real ice invasion.
Below is a video of a news report on the local news about the event. Who is that in the video at the 40 second mark?
Also, I have been posting on another page called Hidden New England. I am focusing on some of the lesser known or “hidden treasures” of New England in this blog. There may be some overlap from some places I have visited previously in this blog. But I am also finding new hidden gems in the area to post about. Please follow my blog and take a look at my Facebook page as well. Here is the link to my Hidden New England page on WordPress: Hidden New England
The link to my Facebook page for Hidden New England is here :Â Hidden New England
Parking:Metered street parking is available and there are two big parking garages on New Liberty St and Congress St
The Downtown Garage (New Liberty St) costs $0.75 per hour.
The Waterfront Garage (Congress St) costs $0.25 per hour.
Both garages operate from 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM Sunday through Wednesday and from 7:00 AM to 2:00 AM Thursday through Saturday.
Public Transportation: The MBTA’s Commuter Rail has a stop which deposits its passengers right at Washington St. $15 for a round trip ticket from North Station (fares vary depending upon where you leave from and where you are going)
Highlights; 24 Ice Sculptures that have light fixtures attached to them that light up at night
What says “Happy Valentine’s Day” like chocolates, champagne and chunks of carved ice? That is what Salem served up this past weekend.
The festivities began Friday, February 9 with a special Salem’s So Sweet chocolate and wine tasting event.
Unfortunately for the sculptures, we experienced a spell of warm weather over the weekend. While it gave people a chance to roam around in t-shirts and, yes in some cases shorts, the 40 to 50 degree weather did not bode will for the ice sculptures. Yes, New England weather is so predictable and cooperative.
Although the sculptures are impressive in the daylight, they really come alive during the afternoon and evening after the lights attached to their stands are turned on. The lights were put on a little before 5 and then I hustled to get all of them photographed before it got too dark.
One of the really great things about the sculptures, besides the obvious beauty and intricacy of them, is that it is great platform for businesses in the area to market themselves in a tasteful and fun way. It is also great for the visitors to learn about businesses, particularly smaller businesses, they may not have been aware of before.
I noticed almost all of the sculptures were different but were in some ways similar to the sculptures they had last year (take notice, Journeymasters). I did notice that they had a certain similar theme with the ice sculptures from last year and this year, such as the sculptures located at the Salem Witch Museum, Bit Bar and Rockafellas.
I am posting the photos of the sculptures in the order they appear on the map from 1 to 24. I will also include a photo of the sculptures before and after they were lit. Not only do the sculptures light up, some of them change colors while they’re lit. I have showed different photos displaying the different colors of the sculptures as well as videos at the bottom to show them in all of their brightness.
The first ice sculpture on the map was located on Essex St near Lappen Park (where the Bewitched statue is). This sculpture didn’t make it to end of the day. Whether it was due to a careless spectator or the result of all of the melting that took place, the top part of the sculpture was not on attached when I came back to photograph it after it was lit.
Han Solo sponsored by Gulu-Gulu Cage. Rumor has it Han was supposed to be on display during last year’s ice sculpture festival but he didn’t make it there in time. I’m glad he could join us this year.
This one made me laugh because while I was photographing it, a child who was with her mother, asked her mom, “What is rum?” Her mom was left speechless.
Of course, with the warmer weather and the special attractions, there were many people walking their dogs. Whenever I go to Salem, which if you read my blog regularly you must know is often, I always see such a wonderful array of dogs and Saturday was no different.
Meko is a 2.5 year old Schnauzer/Yorkie rescue from Arkansas.
Augie is a 2 and a half year old Pug.
Marley is a 12 week old Lab mix.
Cookie (yes like the Oreo cookie) is a 12 year old Border Collie.
Ollie is a mixed breed shelter dog.
Darwin, who was named after Charles Darwin whose boats was named the DHS Beagle.
Below are two videos of two sculptures that had lights on them that changed colors.
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Date Of Visit: February 3, 2017 (Carnival is usually held annually the first weekend of February)
Location: Main St, Greenfield, MA
Cost: Free
Parking: I found metered street parking to be plentiful on Main St. There is also parking available on the side streets off Main St.
Handicapped Accessible: Yes
Dog Friendly: Yes
Tips:
the sculptures are lit up at night
there are several events and exhibits during the carnival (see the website below and the link to my post from last year’s carnival to see what other events take place at the carnival
Highlights: Ice sculptures from the Greenfield Winter Carnival
Well, we made it. We’ve officially made it half way through the winter season. Pause for collective groan. But, cheer up. To celebrate this monumental milestone, Greenfield holds their annual winter carnival fair. The fair includes a variety activities such as a parade of lights to kick off the carnival, face painting, a k9 keg pull a cardboard sled race among many other fun family friendly activities. But, the highlight for many of the visitors to the Greenfield Winter Carnival are the ice sculptures.
Unfortunately, I was not able to attend the festivities this year. But, I did post about it last year.
You can click here to view my blog post from last year’s winter carnival.
Unlike other ice sculpture exhibits where the sculptures are carved elsewhere and delivered, like the Salem’s So Sweet ice sculptures which are going to be on display this upcoming weekend, the ice sculptures at the Greenfield carnival are carved on sight on Main Street. In fact, you may see some of the chunks of ice from the original blocks of ice in some of the photos below.
There were 11 total ice sculptures. They are located on both sides of Main St. We found 10 of them. All of them are located on Main St. These sculptures are also lit up during the evening and some were already lit when we saw them during the afternoon. The frigid and blustery conditions ensured the sculptures remained frozen despite the abundant sunshine.
The first sculpture on Main St (going from south to north) was created Sue O’Sullivan of Royalston, MA.
The second sculpture was created by Brendon Kellner of Cambridge, MA. I think the figures are supposed to be dancing or about to embrace. Or, they’re choking each other. It is up to your particular interpretation today. It may also depend on how your day is going, I suppose.
The next sculpture of a family of penguins (there is a little one in the middle of the two larger penguins) was created by Marc Cinamella of Palmerton, PA.
This sculpture was certainly one of the more popular ice sculptures and my favorite. There were a group of photographers huddled around this sculpture. Of course, waiting for the scene to clear out before I took my photo was less than pleasant given the conditions. The intricate detail of the sculpture really is impressive. The sculpture was carved by Mark Bosworth of Athol, MA.
Unfortunately, I did the shadow of this groundhog look a like sculpture.
This sculpture created by Chef Ben Pike and Franklin County Tech School Culinary students.
This snowflake is not any ordinary snowflake. This icy snowflake was carved by hometown Greenfield citizen John Passiglia.
This howling wolf was created by Robert Markey of Ashfield, MA. I’m not sure if it was done by design or if it was the way the sun was reflecting off the sculpture but I like how the wolf seems to disappear the father you look up on the sculpture in the second photo.
These humongous legs and feet were carved by Annaliese Bischoff from Leverett, MA.
David Barclay of Northampton, MA carved this dragon. I love the scales on the chest of the sculpture.
The final sculpture we found (there was one more farther down the road we missed) of a certain Boston Bruins goalie was carved by Michael Legassey of Athol, MA.
In case you were wondering, yes there were many dogs attending the carnival festivities.
Andrew is a 3 year old Black Mouth Cur.
Bella, a 2 year old Shih Tzu was dressed for the cold temperatures.
Marcey, a rescue all the way from Chicago, is an 8 year old Shepherd mix.
Marcey’s sister, Zoie, a 5 year old Shih Tzu, showed off her talents.
Dates Of Event: February 3-5, 2017 (the first weekend in February each year) photos taken February 5
Location(s): All over the town of Greenfield, most events held at Beacon Field, 61 Beacon St, Greenfield, MA)
Cost: Free (there are small fees for some activites such as $5 to skate at the public outdoor ice rink)
Hours: 9 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Parking: limited parking can be found at the parking lot for Beacon Field. Â Street parking is also available
Highlights: carnivsl hockey, sleigh rides, sled making contest, k9 keg pull, ice sculptures, family friendly activities (see web site below for more info)
It’s that timee of the year again. Â You know that time in between the “fun” part of winter and the coming spring. Â The holidays have passed, the seemingly never-ending chill is still fast upon us, snow has stopped looking “pretty” and everyone is just eager to be able to go outside without layering so much that they look like the Michelin man. Â So, to bring a little cheer to the frustrated masses, many cities and towns have organized “winterfests” or “winter carnivals” to get everyone out of their ruts and bring some cheer to the frozen masses.
Winterfests are not some new fangled celebrations. Â In fact, this was Greenfield’s 95th winterfest. Â I guess people got the doldrums back then, too.
The three day event (the first Friday, Saturday and Sunday in February) is a family friendly extravaganza. Â Besides what I photographed dueing my visit Sunday, there are a bonfire, fireworks and a “family fun fest” event for kids to play and do a variety of events with other children and their parents.
The first thing I noticed, and I was looking for specifically, was the winter carnival hockey game between the Greenfield Sheriff’s Department and the Franklin County Firefighters. Â The shortened rink and lack of goalies (they used boxes with holes in them to try to score goals), allowed for more action and more scoring chances.
There wasn’t much checking and not one fight (perhaps a first in a game between firefighters and police). Â But, it was still entertaining. Â I didn’t get a final score. Â But, the Sheriff’s department (in the green jerseys) had a comfortable lead when I left to check out more of the winterfest.
In between breaks, some kids came out and practiced. Â Future players for sure.
Most of the events during my visit took place at Beacon Field.  In some of the photos, you may notice the Poet’s Seat Tower which I posted about in May of last year.
The first thing I noticed was the sleigh rides being provided.
Some children took advantage of the hill at the park to do some sledding.
Some of the children brought their home made sleds to the park for a contest. Â The sleds were judged but they didn’t take them on the hill perhaps due to the lack of a good snow covering.
The big event for most of us, though, was the K9 Keg Pull. Â Dogs from a variety of breeds, sozes, shapes and physical prowess participated. Â The size of the (empty) kegs and cans the dogs pulled were commensurate to their size. Â There was a small registration fee ($25 I think) and all of the proceeds went to a animal shelter.
There were over 60 participants and they all did great. Â The parents or guardians would usually run with their dog ot urge them on from the finish line. Â Sometimees it seemed like the parents were having more fun with it than the dogs!
Bodie and Clarence (left to right) were twoo of the bigger competitors.
Not all of the dogs there were participating in the keg pulls
Sadie is a 2 year old Lab mix.
Duncan is a 14 week old mini-poodle.
There were also ice sculptures scattered around the town. Â Of course, most of them had been damaged or destroyed by revelers. Â I was able to photograph a couple of them.
New England Nomad 