Chautauqua Ice is Nice
Posted by Richard Benedetto on Monday, February 8th, 2010 at 6:06pm.A Look Back At Castles Of Years Gone By
The day was Feb. 21, 1987.
The weather was clear and cold, but invigorating. The event was a first for Chautauqua County - The Ice Castle Extravaganza! That first castle, built entirely by volunteers, was 50 feet long and 25 feet high. Inside were 82 colored spotlights illuminating the 750 blocks of ice cut from frozen Chautauqua Lake, each weighing between 400 and 500 pounds. Mayville cured "Cabin Fever" that year and has been doing it ever since.
The ice castle in 1987 was part of the Chautauqua-Allegheny Region "I Love New York Victorian Winter Festival" and was advertised as a one-day event. Those involved were stunned when an estimated 25,000 people came to Mayville that Saturday - and the next few days - to see this grand palace.
Indeed, this was such an unusual feat that it not only generated stories in the local and Buffalo newspapers, it also gained worldwide attention with photos published in The New York Times, the U.S. military publication Stars and Stripes, England edition; and on the photo page of The New Zealand Herald.
Volunteers put the finishing touches on the first ice castle in February 1987.
After all, it was - and is - the southernmost ice structure in the United States.
The ice castle was the dream of the late Donald J. Hogan, 17-year director of then-Chautauqua County Vacationlands Association (now Chautauqua County Visitors' Bureau), who firmly believed that our tourism seasons must be extended. In other words, we must offer activities beyond summer for the other three seasons to attract visitors.
He borrowed from the experience of ice castle builders in Saranac Lake and Minneapolis. His enthusiasm was not lost on the late Bob Martin, who had lived in St. Paul, Minn., where ice castles in winter were included in the lifestyle, and who was eager to pitch in.
Hogan was quoted then as saying, "I'm just the guy who's been trying to get someone to build it for eight or nine years. I planted the idea."
Incidentally, the 1997 Ice Castle Extravaganza was dedicated to the memories of Don Hogan and Bob Martin.
The 1997 event had perfect weather from the first day of construction to the opening and finish. And that one brought even more publicity. Channel 7 from Buffalo came to the Friday evening castle lighting and it was picked up by CNN. Friends and relatives from as far away as California, North Carolina and Florida called to say they had seen it.
Also part of the first ICE was a treasure hunt. A plastic container holding a gold leaf medallion was hidden on public property somewhere in Chautauqua County. The winners in subsequent years received either a cash prize or savings bond, depending on who the sponsor was. This is still a part of the event.
After the first year, and with no more New York winter festival designation or financial help for the region, ICE was expanded to a long weekend - now Presidents Weekend - to include many of the snow-related activities that were traditional for several years and others continue to be part of the weekend. These included a broomball tournament, horsedrawn sleigh rides, pony and snowmobile rides, a snowmobile flare parade Saturday evening followed by a giant fireworks display over the lake and several food vendors who served up just what was needed in the middle of winter under a huge tent.
As the years passed, the activities changed according to popularity, however, the most popular with the younger generation was a giant snow slide for kids.
Then there were those years when the weather was tenuous. Castles have been built and an early winter thaw caused meltdowns; castles have been halfway completed when they had to be wrapped in tarp until the temperatures dropped enough to preserve them; and in 1993 Chautauqua Lake never froze.
Sadly, as most areas of the Northeast have experienced "warm" winters, the ICE volunteers also felt the effects of El Nino and then La Nina. There were no castles in 1998 and 1999 because the ice was not thick enough to cut. Even the snow-related activities couldn't be held because of the lack of snow.
Also through the years, ICE Committee members - whether new to the scene or old-timers - remarked that they knew what it must be like to be a farmer who has to depend on the weather. Undaunted, though, every year a committee of volunteers planned the weekend, thinking only positively that, yes, Mother Nature will be with us this year.
To illustrate how far ICE had come since that first castle, the 1996 castle was 20 feet high and 120 feet long and consisted of 1,150 blocks, or 230 tons, of ice, each block weighing 400 pounds. It took 20 to 25 men 1,280 hours over eight days to construct this object of beauty. And the castles are still built by volunteers as are all the activities carried out by volunteers.
Architects in the county were invited to submit a design for the 1997 castle on a voluntary basis. The winner was David Walter from Habiterra Associates in Jamestown. His big prize was pulling the switch to light the castle on opening night at dusk.
When first started, ICE was its own entity. A few years later it was placed under the umbrella of the Mayville/Chautauqua Chamber of Commerce, and still is today.
The economic impact on Chautauqua County, not just on Mayville, has been demonstrated through the years. Dollars spent during these special February weekends is one example that can't be overlooked. ICE established a reputation far and wide for visitors looking for a winter getaway. As evidence of this interest, the chamber and visitors' bureau begin fielding inquiries in early September. People are planning and they want to mark the date on their calendar. They also make lodging reservations and check out the ski areas, restaurants and shops. With the lack of a frozen Chautauqua Lake, the castle has had to be bypassed a few times. The answer to that dilemma has been to add other winter-related activities, and this year the chamber has renamed it President's Day Winter ICE Festival scheduled for Feb. 12-14, at Lakeside Park - its home since its inception.
For information about this year's event, contact the chamber office at 753-3113.
ICE Founding Member, Previous Chair (three years), Publicity Chair (12 years), former chamber coordinator (five years)
This hCard created with the hCard creator.
Print
ShareBe the first to comment on this blog entry!
Leave a Comment
- Featured Properties
Recent Blog Posts
Olive Garden maybe coming to Lakewood
Olive Garden Makes First Pitch October 27, 2011 By Dennis Phillips (dp) , The Post-Journal LAKEWOOD - The site plan for the proposed Olive Garden re... Read More
“These Are Days: 10,000 Maniacs 1981-2011” 30th Anniversary Exhibition: thru Saturday, October 29th, 2011
"These Are Days: 10,000 Maniacs 1981-2011" will open in the 3rd On 3rd Gallery in Jamestown on September 9 and run through October 29. (Submitted Photo)... Read More
“Bats of the Night” at Audubon: Saturday, October 29th, 2011
When: Saturday, October 29th, 2011 While bats are fascinating creatures, many people are afraid of them and don’t understand how helpful they are. On Sa... Read More