Oakland ready for third annual Winter Fest

Ice sculptures focal point for three-day celebration; activities planned for all ages

For the Cumberland Times-News
Cumberland Times-News

OAKLAND — Oakland Main Street is sponsoring its third annual Winter Fest on Feb. 19, 20 and 21, with a wide variety of activities planned for Garrett County residents and visitors alike.

Organizers said last year’s festival was a huge success and this year’s festival has been expanded to a three-day event. Once again, ice carving demonstrations will be held during the run of the celebration. The event relies on sponsorships from local businesses and contributions from the public.

Festival crowds will be treated to an encore performance by expert ice sculptor Bill Sandusky, whose company, Frozen Assets, has been a member of the National Ice Carvers Association since 1999. Sandusky, an award-winning ice carver who served Western Pennsylvania for 15 years, is now located in Colorado. This will be his third Oakland Winter Fest.

Five carvings will be created during the daylight hours with an additional 25 sculptures being displayed throughout town. Tons of sparkling ice art will grace downtown Oakland throughout the day and evening during the festival.

Highlights of the festival include:

• Progressive Dinner, starting at Oakland’s historic train station with diners arriving at each dinner course via horse-drawn sleigh.

• All-you-can-eat pancake breakfast at the local fire hall.

• Lighting ceremony, with most of the ice sculptures lighted after dark. During previous festivals, many people drove around downtown in the evening to see the sculptures.

• Announcement of Oakland’s 2010 Snowflake Toddler, selected by the community.

• An “ice throne” to sit on, providing an opportunity for photographs.

• Dragon slide.

• Frozen bowling alley.

• Snowmobile drag races.

• Snowman building competition.

• Wine tasting.

• Music by the Preston Madrigals and Maria Rose and Danny Elswick.

• Campfire with s’mores.

• Photo scavenger hunt

• Arts and craftr vendors at the train station.

• Food vendors

For more information, call Jim Johnson, Winter Fest Committee chairman, at (301) 616-4008, or Arlene Murray, Oakland Main Street manager, at (301) 616-2411.



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