An ice throne will be unveiled on Red Deer’s Ross Street Patio during a Winter Carnival on Thursday, Jan. 26.
For the third year running, the Downtown Business Association is presenting an ice sculpture event in January to bring people of all ages down to the city’s centre — and to celebrate winter.
The first two years featured sculptures of a bee and a deer family. This year’s idea was to make a sculpture that would invite community participation, said the DBA’s executive-director Amanda Gould.
“We wanted to get people more involved,” she added. Carnival-goers will be able to sit on this year’s majestic seat — which will be surrounded by two other (yet undetermined) ice sculptures — and take their own pictures.
The nearly six-foot throne will be carved by Frozen Memories of Calgary earlier on Jan. 26. It will be ready for photo ops during the 4-7 p.m. event.
Gould said guests on the patio will also be served hot chocolate, and they can play some free winter carnival games and activities. These include an ice fishing game, snowball toss, a mini-stick hockey-net game and more.
As guests enjoy the warmth of the Ross Street Patio’s fire tables, under a canopy of strung lights, Gould hopes they will grab a bite to eat at a nearby eatery, or check out the unique goods available at downtown retailers.
Gould previously noted 50 new businesses opened their doors in the downtown in 2022. Among them are the Runaway Cafe on Ross Street and the re-opening of Country Cupboard on Little Gaetz. The gift store had previously closed to allow major repairs to the building after a fire in 2021.
The Downtown Business Association is aiming to bring 250 special events to the city’s core in 2023, surpassing the 170 concerts, farmer’s markets and theme days held in previous years.
Gould said plans are already underway for a line-up of Valentine’s events for the month of February.
lmichelin@reddeeradvocate.com
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