BELFAST – Ice chips flew through the air and covered clothing as teams of ice carvers sawed, chopped, burnished and chiseled sleek blocks of ice into glistening sculptures depicting everything from animals to mythic totems.

Twenty teams gathered along the circular driveway and portico of the historic Williamson House on Saturday to take part in the third annual Belfast International Ice Sculpting Competition. Participants came from across the region, along with a few competitors from Ireland.

Organizer John Morrow said the event was held in conjunction with the city’s annual New Year’s By the Bay celebration and also to raise awareness for the American Heart Association’s “Go Red For Women” national movement to make women aware of their risk for heart disease. Heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death among women.

“We’ve asked each team to support this cause and tell people about it,” Morrow said. “It’s not so much a fundraiser, it’s an awareness matter.

Morrow and his wife, Kate, open their home and sweeping front lawn each year for what has become one of the more popular holiday events in the city. A steady stream of cars drives by the High Street home to check out the ice sculptures before they melt from view.

Teams carved ice replicas of the stone statues of Easter Island, the family dog, a dinosaur, a guitar and many other figures. Once the sculptures were finished, the Morrows invited the teams and their supporters inside for chili, sweets, and hot and cold drinks, and to gather around the Christmas tree for live music.

“This really started out as a family thing but we had so much fun that we decided to open it up to the people in conjunction with New Year’s By the Bay,” Morrow said. “This home was built by a shipbuilder, and Belfast was once a big exporter of ice so we said, ‘Let’s do something in recognition of that heritage.'”

Morrow said 6,000 pounds of “slow-dripped” ice was trucked in from New Hampshire on Friday for the event. Each team was provided a 10-inch-by-20-inch-by-40 inch block of clear ice weighing 300 pounds, and given two hours to complete sculptures in competition for the coveted Belfast Cup.

This year’s winner was an ice chicken and egg, a sculpture symbolic of Belfast’s ranking as the “Broiler Capital of the World” in the mid- and late 20th century when poultry processing plants operated along the waterfront.

The cup-winning team was made up of Belfast residents Mark and Susan White and Don and Lynn Hoenig; and Don and Marcia Tyrol of Vassalboro. The team has been invited to participate in the Melt My Heart ice sculpture competition in Freeport next month.

“I think they were all good,” Morrow said Sunday of the ice sculptures. “The talent was unbelievable this year.”

Judge Geordie Squibb agreed. Squibb described the field as markedly better than last year’s. That made it difficult for the judges to select a winner because so many pieces were deserving of recognition. He said many of the works were comparable in skill and inspiration.

“It was a very difficult decision to make,” Squibb said Sunday. “The quality was way up this year. Last year was no contest, but this year was very hard. The five judges really agonized about this. Some of the sculptures were very artistic, others were more creative. It was not easy.”

Ed Jarrett, founder and executive director of the Maine Snow and Ice Sculpting Foundation, attended this year’s event and demonstrated his method of sculpting ice. Jarrett, who works from November through January on ice sculptures at L.L. Bean, said the foundation was formed to introduce the art of snow and ice sculpture throughout the state.

Using an electric chain saw and grinding tools, Jarrett carved sculptures of a turtle and a swan in approximately 20 minutes each. Jarrett said he learned his skills while studying culinary arts. He spent years working in the private sector but because “sculpting was consuming me” decided to move on to other areas.

Besides his work with L.L. Bean, Jarrett also runs a mentoring program in ice sculpting at Southern Maine Community College and was the creator of the largest sand castle at Point Sebago last summer. He plans to compete in the Maine Snow and Ice Sculpture championships in Freeport on Feb. 2. The winner will compete in the U.S. Nationals at Lake Geneva, Wis.

“I have a passion for sculpting and I love teaching,” Jarrett said. “The first ice sculpture I ever made was a swan and the head fell off. The second one sold for $200 for a wedding and only cost me $7 for the ice. I said to myself, ‘This could be a profession.'”

As the teams carved and chipped away at their creations, children rolled huge snowballs across the Morrows’ front yard and tossed smaller ones at one another.

“We love to have kids in the front yard rolling snowballs, that’s what it’s there for,” Morrow said.

For information about the snow and ice foundation visit mainesnowandice.org. To learn more about the risk of heart disease visit GoRedForWomen.org.

wgriffin@bangordailynews.net

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