Camden’s Winterfest 2014

Winterfest, Camden’s annual celebration of winter and community, returns to the Amphitheatre on Saturday, February 1, at noon. The centerpiece of Winterfest activity is the community ice carving. Community groups, individuals, schools, and businesses carve wondrous crystalline sculptures on the day of the celebration, using the traditional tools of the ice-carving artisan. Tim Pierce, Executive Chef and master ice-carver of the Samoset Resort, assists the carvers with their creations. Winterfest is presented by the Winterfest Committee and the Camden Public Library with support from The First.

This year the Winterfest activities will be expanded to make a week-long community festival. Winterfest will be on the first weekend, on February 1, and Camden’s famous Toboggan National Championships will be on the following weekend, on February 7, 8, and 9, to create “bookends” for Camden Winterfest Week. This year, for the first time, snow sculptures are planned for Camden in addition to the traditional ice sculptures, sponsored by the Camden Downtown Business Group and the PenBay Regional Chamber of Commerce.

The Snow Bowl is planning on providing a mini-mountain of snow in the Amphitheatre for family winter fun such as sledding and building snowmen on February 1. With or without natural snow, families are encouraged to come and play and enjoy Camden’s downtown public parks. Winter indoor crafts and face painting are offered free of charge to the younger set in the Picker Room of the Camden Public Library during Winterfest on February 1. The warm rotunda of the library hosts live music by All That Jazz. Also on Atlantic Avenue, a merry band of culinary volunteers serve a variety of delicious hot soups and light snacks donated by local restaurants. Proceeds benefit the Camden Public Library.

Camden Parks & Rec Department will host “CamJam” activities in Harbor Park during the first weekend of Camden Winterfest Week. They will install rails in Harbor Park so that skiers and snowboarders can try out the downtown slope, and on Sunday, February 2, trick skiing and snowboarding competition will be held in Harbor Park, sponsored by the Camden Snow Bowl. Finals will be held at the Snow Bowl on Friday, February 7.

To finish out the week, the US National Toboggan Championships will run February 7 to February 9 at the Camden Snow Bowl. Races begin Friday and continue on Saturday and Sunday. Toboggan enthusiasts are encouraged to park in downtown Camden and take the shuttle bus out to the Snow Bowl. Special events, in addition to the races themselves, include Friday’s “Down the Chute” Beer and Wine Tasting, the Chili Challenge on Saturday, the Costume Parade and contest at noon Saturday, and the USNTC Awards Ceremony at 3pm Sunday. For more information on Saturday’s Winterfest launch, visit www.librarycamden.org, and for more on the snow sculptures and downtown happenings www.camdenwinterfest.com. Toboggan Nationals information can be found at www.camdensnowbowl.com

Winterfest Set for February 1, 2014

Camden, Maine - The Winterfest Committee is planning another gala winter celebration in the Camden Amphitheatre, set for Saturday afternoon, February 1. The date was chosen to create “bookend” weekends in February, beginning with Winterfest on February 1 and the National Toboggan Championships on February 6-7-8, to give townspeople and visitors reason to get  outdoors and enjoy the winter season.

The centerpiece of Winterfest continues to be the ice sculpting event. Teams carve crystal-clear, 300-pound blocks of ice into exquisite, sparkling artwork that remain in the Amphitheatre until sun and rain finally reduce. There are openings for more teams, please contact Ken Gross at the Camden Public Library for information and to register for carving. Tim Pierce, Executive Chef at the Samoset Resort, leads an ice sculpting workshop each season to teach how to use the ice sculpting tools, and to help lay out the art on the blocks. Pierce is very enthusiastic about ice sculpting and enjoys sharing his enthusiasm and skills. He is planning on constructing another Glacier Ice Bar at the Samoset again this winter.

In addition to ice sculpting, Winterfest offers family sledding, music outdoors and indoors, hot food outdoors, and kid crafts and face painting indoors. The Winterfest Committee is seeking volunteers to join the committee, and to help with activities on the day of the festival, particularly with serving food. Contact Ken Gross at 236-3440 for more information. The next meeting of the Winterfest committee is Wednesday morning, 8:00 am, at the Camden Public Library.

Photos Credit: Getty

Preparations for Winterfest

Preparations for Winterfest are continuing successfully at the Camden Amphitheatre. Winterfest will be held Saturday afternoon, January 26. 

Sunday, January 13

Master ice carver Tim Pierce gives a demonstration of ice carving to several teams participating in the Winterfest ice carving event. Winterfest is Saturday afternoon, January 26, in the Camden Amphitheatre, and features live music, indoors and out, warm food, kids crafts indoors, and ice skating on the rink in addition to the ice carving. The teams at the workshop included the Community School/CMCA, Megunticook Rowing, Interact Club/The Rig, GLACE, and the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship. Tim Pierce is the Executive Chef at the Samoset Resort.

Monday, January 14

Left to right, Fire Chief Chris Farley, volunteer ice leader Michael Roy of Phi Home Designs, fireman Cheyne Hansen, and visiting fireman Will Schoppe of Islesboro, finished installing the rink and filled it with water in preparation for frigid weather returning this week. “We should be ready to skate by this weekend!” said Roy.

At The Library This Month

CALENDAR OF EVENTS, JANUARY 17 thru JANUARY 31
Camden Public Library  236-3440

 Thursday, January 17
 Coastal Senior College Class on “Bach and the Best of the Rest of the Baroque,” 1:00 pm at the Camden Public Library. Instructor: Marge Roberts. Call the Senior College at 800-286-1594 to enroll.


Thursday, January 17
 Midcoast Audubon Society hosts “Tracking Sea Birds” with Brian Benedict of the Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge, 7:00 pm at the Camden Public Library.


Sunday, January 20
 “America’s Music” series continues with “Tin Pan Alley and Broadway,” with intro and discussion led by Glenn Jenks. Free movie series, 3:00 pm at Camden Public Library.


Tuesday, January 22
 Author Jason Anthony presents Hoosh: Roast Penguin

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!