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Release Date: 
Wednesday, January 19, 2011

HFCC and Plymouth Ice Festival melt the winter blues!

It's that time again. Holidays are over. Winter blues begin to set in for those of us who live in the northern sections of the U.S.

According to Dr. Norman Rosenthal, an expert on Seasonal Affective Disorder and author of Winter Blues: Everything You Need to Know to Beat Seasonal Affective Disorder (New York, NY: Guilford Press; 2006), approximately 20 percent of those who live in northern states of the U.S. experience some degree of the winter blues.

Ugh!

But the Plymouth Ice Festival that takes place at Kellogg Park in downtown Plymouth Jan. 21-23 can help beat the blues with an assortment of activities and events that celebrate the beauty of winter and remind everyone of why they enjoy living in the northern climates!

HFCC's Certified Executive Chef and Culinary Educator Richard Teeple will use his 29 years of ice carving experience to help judge ice competitions during this exceptional winter event. Teeple, who is a nationally certified Lead Ice Judge with the National Ice Carving Association (http://www.nica.org/Ice-Sculpture-National-Ice-Carving-Association.htm), is thrilled that he and the HFCC Ice Carving club will participate in this major ice festival.

'As the largest ice festival in the U.S., this event brings together some of the most creative ice carvers from around the nation,' he said, adding that the HFCC Ice Carving club, 'will participate in a number of competitions. We are absolutely thrilled to join the many sponsors to support this exceptional event and to help chase away the winter blues!'

HFCC Ice Club Member Jeffrey Lao, who serves as the Club's tools and equipment officer, is once again thrilled to take part in such a nationally-known ice festival.

'This is my second year with the HFCC Ice Club, as well as my second year competing in the Plymouth Ice Festival. It's quite the experience. Between the large crowds and the impressive ice displays, you can feel the energy in the air. There's nothing like it,' he said.

The festival begins Friday, Jan. 21, at 7 p.m. in Plymouth's Kellogg Park. The kick-off features a 20 foot torch-shaped ice sculpture that will be lit with flame shortly after the event begins.

Additionally, the Otsego Club Rail Jam will come to the event with an interactive display for freeskier and snowboard enthusiasts. Demonstrations on ice carving, snowboarding and skiing, among others, will take place and music will fill the air. Dueling Chainsaws Speed Carving Extravaganza will also be back on Saturday, Jan. 22 with more sculptors, speed and ice!

HFCC's Ice Carving Club will compete in several ice carving competitions as well. The entire event will turn the downtown Plymouth area into a live entertainment fairground, with live music, food and entertainment.

Ice sculptures will be on display 24 hours a day in Kellogg Park and along the sidewalks and streets of downtown Plymouth. The following is a specific schedule of activities, demonstrations and vendor displays during the festival:

  • Friday, Jan. 21: 3 - 11 p.m.;
  • Saturday, Jan. 22:  10 a.m. - 11 p.m.; and
  • Sunday, Jan. 23: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Admission to the Plymouth Ice Festival is FREE. For more information, please visit www.plymouthicefestival.com.