Holland Michigan

National Ice Carving Association Collegiate Ice Sculpting Invitational

Saturday, January 10, 2009, 9:00 AM - 5:30 PM

Downtown Holland Ice Sculpting Competition 44 West Ninth Street Holland, MI 49423 http://www.downtownhollandice.com phone: 616.988.6187 fax: 616.355.1051 42.789241, -86.109477

Downtown Holland Ice Sculpting Competition

The annual Downtown Holland Ice Sculpting Competition is even bigger and better this year! For the first time ever, Downtown Holland is partnering with the National Ice Carving Association (NICA) to host a Collegiate Invitational Competition. Downtown Holland and NICA will bring students from Culinary Schools around the Midwest together for this exciting event.

Compulsory Event:

The day-long invitational will kick off at 9:00 am with a compulsory event. The compulsory event will begin with a seminar during which the competitors will be instructed on the proper carving techniques that are used to create different geometric shapes out of ice. The competitors will then be challenged to create both a cube and sphere with specific dimensions out of a small block of ice. Their pieces will then be judged for accuracy.

Instructional Seminar:

The compulsory event will be followed by another seminar at 10:45 am, which is open to both the competitors and the public. During the seminar, an expert carver will present, “10 Steps to 3D Sculpting,” which will closely review the individual steps involved in the process of carving an ice sculpture.

Sanctioned Competition:

The highlight of the entire invitational, however, will undoubtedly be the official NICA sanctioned ice sculpting competition, which will begin at 1:30 pm. During this half of the invitational, competitors will be given 4 hours to transform giant 300-pound blocks of ice into glistening works of art! The competitors will first begin creating their sculptures using chain saws (much to the delight of onlookers) and will finish the intricate details of their pieces using fine precision tools. At the end of the four-hour competition, each sculpture will be judged by a panel of judges according to official NICA standards.

Information For The Public:

In addition to attending the instructional seminar, the public is invited to stroll down Eighth Street in Downtown Holland and watch in amazement as these talented students create their frozen masterpieces. And while the ice will be cold, guests will stay warm and toasty as they stroll along Downtown’s heated cobblestone sidewalks and streets. In addition, there are plenty of coffee shops, pubs, and restaurants to warm up in, not to mention the multitude of unique shops and boutiques.

The Downtown Holland Ice Sculpting Competition has certainly never been this cool before! You won’t want to miss it!

For more information on NICA, please visit their "website":http://www.nica.org.

Admission: Free

Organized by: Downtown Holland Principal Shopping District
Contact: Kara Barney
616.988.6187
http://www.downtownholland.com

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