Ice sculptures bring thrills, chills to First Night State College

Dec. 31 brought cloudy, chilly conditions on a misty Thursday afternoon, with a brief snow shower, across downtown State College.

The chill did not stop families, including grandparents and young children, from spending the last few hours of 2015 together.

On South Allen Street, ice sculptors worked with precision through the chill, chainsaws in hand, carving dinosaurs, ducks and swans free-handedly.

As slushy ice cascaded to the ground, by way of the blades from chainsaws, people watching from the South Allen Street sidewalk could be heard saying, “wow.”

Matt Barone, a community member, brought his two young sons to the ice carving Thursday. “First we went to the science museum and then through the park to see all of the sculptures. The kids love the ice sculptures. We try to make it out every year. This is great for the State College community, and it’s something different for the new year” Barone said.

“We look forward to the ice sculptures, each year, the kids have a fabulous time,” said Melissa Le, a community member who also visited First Night with her family Thursday afternoon.

First Night actually got its start in Boston in 1967. “The event provided one of America’s oldest cities with a new way of ushering in the New Year. First night remained a Boston phenomenon until 1982, when First Night Virginia was founded,” according to www.firstnightstatecollege.com.

In State College, First Night is a production of the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts Inc., and it prides itself on being an alcohol-free event.

“I love that this event is alcohol free, there are a lot of kids around and there shouldn’t be any alcohol around them,” Le said.

A host of workshops are held, including a songwriting workshop with award-winning songwriter Jim Colbert.

With fitness on the top of many people’s New Year’s resolution’s lists, the 5K Resolution Run is one of the most popular events of First Night.

A popular attraction is the ice sculptures. The sculptors spend the last day of the year carving more than 100 blocks of crystal clear ice. The sculptors work from midmorning hours until 6 p.m., drawing quite a crowd.

More than 20 people helped carve the sculptures across the borough, including Ryan Crosby, who’s been helping with First Night since he was 14. “We have to draw a template on a piece of paper first, but it’s a lot of freehand when we actually get out here on First Night.”

Weather also affects the preservation and quality of the ice sculptures. Temperatures have fluctuated tremendously throughout December. However, Thursday did bring ideal conditions, with cloudy skies and temps in the mid to low 30s. “We like cloudy weather and it’s getting chillier too, so we like that” Crosby said.

This story was originally published December 31, 2015 at 5:54 PM with the headline "Ice sculptures bring thrills, chills to First Night State College."