Winterfest returns to the Camden Amphitheatre

 Save the date, January 26, 2013!

 Winterfest returns to the Camden Amphitheatre for the 11th annual
 celebration of winter and community ice carving on January 26 at noon.
 The Winterfest Committee is extending an open invitation to everyone
 in the community to try his or her hand at the traditional craft of
 ice carving.

 In addition to the one day winter celebration, the Winterfest
 committee collaborates with the Friends of the Amphitheatre Ice Rink
 to once again reopen the free public ice rink in the Amphitheatre.
 The
 opening date for the ice rink will depend on the weather. For a
 successful ice season we must wait until the ground is frozen before
 filling the rink. Daily ice conditions will be posted on the Camden
 Public Library website.

 The centerpiece of Winterfest activity is the community ice carving.
 Community groups, individuals, schools, and businesses are invited to
 sign up for an ice block to carve on the day of the celebration.
 Groups and individuals will transform ordinary blocks of ice into
 crystalline ice sculptures using the traditional tools of the
 ice-carving artisan. Tim Pierce, chef and master ice-carver of the
 Samoset Resort, will lead an ice-carving workshop on January 13 at
 3:00 pm to instruct the groups on the use of the tools. The fee for a
 block of ice for carving is $50. Applications can be downloaded on the
 Camden Public Library website at www.librarycamden.org or picked up at
 the library's front desk. For more information on registering to
 carve, please contact Anita Brosius-Scott at anita@scottsnet.com or
 236-9878.

 The Amphitheatre is home to the ice sculptures for several weeks after
 the event in what the committee calls a "Winter Ice Garden."
 The
 community is encouraged to keep coming back to the park to watch on a
 daily basis how the ice sculptures change and melt away.

 Winterfest activities begin at 12:00 noon in the Camden Amphitheatre
 and Camden Public Library. With or without snow, families are
 encouraged to come and play, skate, and enjoy Camden's downtown public
 parks while the carving takes place. Winter indoor crafts and face
 painting are offered free of charge to children in the Picker Room of
 the Camden Public Library by Children's Librarian Miss Amy. The warm
 rotunda of the library hosts live music by_ __All That Jazz_. Outside
 a merry band of culinary volunteers serve a variety of delicious hot
 soups donated and light snacks. There will also be live music
 performed outdoors again this year!