DAVENPORT, Iowa — As Davenport gets ready for the 11th annual Icestravaganza opening Jan. 13-15, News 8 got the chance to go behind the scenes to see just what exactly goes into such a large-scale event.
According to Downtown Davenport Partnership Director of Events Jason Gilliland, more than 36,000 pounds of ice were shipped to the Freight House Farmer's Market parking lot on Monday all the way from Minnesota. That's in the form of 120 ice blocks weighing around 300 pounds each.
But 11 years ago, the event didn't start out that big.
"So we went from three blocks of ice to 120 blocks of ice," Gilliland said. " And it's really started to become a tradition for a lot of families to come down, bring their families and see what those carvers have come up with."
The carvers, of which there are about half a dozen, were supposed to start chipping away on Jan 10, but due to the weather hitting above-freezing temperatures and the sun shining mostly unobstructed by clouds, they were unable to start until Jan 11 after dark, giving them just under 48 hours to turn the blocks of ice into works of art.
"The sun is probably our biggest enemy — just that sunlight really kind of breaks down that ice. And so we just tried to keep everything covered as much as possible. So we have a lot of tarps and blankets and different things that we throw on top of them. And if the conditions aren't good during the day, they'll come in after the sun goes down, and they'll carve at night."
One carver News 8's Collin Riviello spoke to, Rob Storm, said it was unfortunate that he had to wait until Wednesday night to start carving.
"It was hot and sunny [Wednesday] and that's no good to carve it," Storm said. He's been carving for about 30 years, making the delay in working a non-issue. He said it'll take him about 3 and-a-half hours to finish the piece he was working on for the event: a pagoda.
"It just creates happiness and ambience in an event," Storm said. "It's enjoyable [to be able to] contribute to a joyful event."
He encourages people to try to get into the craft, but understands there are barriers.
"We don't get too many new creators. Part of it is a tool set. I mean, I've got $1,000 in tools. [And] if you're buying a block of ice, it's usually $150 to $165 and to practice on that, something that melts away, is you know... it's really hard. It's really hard."
And the 11th Icestravaganza won't just feature Storm's sculpture as is — it'll be highlighted with lights, making it easier for visitors to take photos of and with his art. It starts Friday night at 5 p.m. and runs through Sunday night until 10 p.m. Free hot chocolate and a fire pit to keep warm will be offered all three days of the event.
Live ice carving demonstrations will be held Saturday from 3-5 p.m. and will be livestreamed on Downtown Davenport's Facebook Page. If you can't make it then, you can attend the Afterglow Party between 6-8 p.m. later that day, where another live ice carving will take place with black lights.
The event is free for anyone to attend and will be located at 420 W River Dr. in the Freight House Farmer's Market parking lot and LeClaire Park.
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