The Henry Ford Community College Ice Carving Club, under the direction of certified executive chef and HFCC faculty member Richard Teeple, storm in to the 2011 Plymouth Ice Festival Jan. 21 to 23 with competition, ice carving demonstrations, music, food and more.
DEARBORN — Henry Ford Community College certified executive chef and culinary educator Richard Teeple will use his 29 years of ice carving experience to help judge ice competitions during the Plymouth Ice Festival Friday through Sunday.
Teeple, who is a nationally certified lead ice judge with the National Ice Carving Association, is thrilled that he and the HFCC Ice Carving club will participate in this major ice festival.
“As the largest ice festival in the U.S., this event brings together some of the most creative ice carvers from around the nation,” he said, adding that the HFCC Ice Carving club, “will participate in a number of competitions. We are absolutely thrilled to join the many sponsors to support this exceptional event and to help chase away the winter blues.”
Jeffrey Lao, who serves as the club’s tools and equipment officer, is once again thrilled to take part in such a nationally-known ice festival.
“This is my second year with the HFCC Ice Club, as well as my second year competing in the Plymouth Ice Festival,” Lao said. “It’s quite the experience. Between the large crowds and the impressive ice displays, you can feel the energy in the air. There’s nothing like it.”
HFCC’s Ice Carving Club will compete in several ice carving competitions as well. The entire event will turn the downtown Plymouth area into a live entertainment fairground, with live music, food and entertainment.
The festival begins at 3 p.m. Friday in Plymouth’s Kellogg Park. The festival’s 7 p.m. opening ceremony will feature a 20-foot torch-shaped ice sculpture that will be lit with flame shortly after the event begins.
Additionally, the Otsego Club Rail Jam will come to the event with an interactive display for freeskier and snowboard enthusiasts. Demonstrations on ice carving, snowboarding and skiing, among others, will take place and music will fill the air.
The Dueling Chainsaws Speed Carving Extravaganza will also be back on Saturday with more sculptors, speed and ice.
Ice sculptures will be on display 24 hours a day in the park and along the sidewalks and streets of downtown Plymouth.
Festival hours are: 3 to 11 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free.
For more information, go to www.plymouthicefestival.com.
Photos courtesy of Henry Ford Community College
Ice sculptures from the 2010 Plymouth Ice Festival.