First Night State College is known for its ice sculptures — one of the largest displays of its kind in Pennsylvania — and sculptors were hard at work Wednesday morning and afternoon crafting the creative designs that are an annual highlight of the New Year’s Eve celebration.
Seven ice sculptors carved 120 blocks of ice, or more than 15 tons, live on site to craft the sculptures that line South Allen Street and Sidney Friedman Park and appear outside some downtown businesses. The blocks of ice are made using the Clinebell freezing process, which freezes water from the bottom up to force out impurities and air bubbles, resulting in the crystal clear ice used for the sculptures.
This year’s sculptors are Jared McAlister, Robert Higareda, Mark Mastrangelo, Mitch Schrader, Jeff Kaiser, Evan Hughes and Chris Kolar, according to First Night State College, a production of the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts.
The sculptures will be on display until 6 p.m. on Thursday, New Year’s Day.
For more about First Night State College, check out our preview.
Here’s a look at the ice sculptors in action Wednesday on the 100 block of South Allen Street. All photos by Greg Guise.
