Cool art in the QC

Teresa Harrison took her grandson, Henry, to see works of art carved in ice on Saturday afternoon, Jan. 18. Henry, who is 3 1/2 years old, liked what he saw, but seemed to prefer drinking the hot chocolate during the annual  Icestravaganza in downtown Davenport. “This is my first time here. I think it’s wonderful. […]

Teresa Harrison took her grandson, Henry, to see works of art carved in ice on Saturday afternoon, Jan. 18. Henry, who is 3 1/2 years old, liked what he saw, but seemed to prefer drinking the hot chocolate during the annual  Icestravaganza in downtown Davenport.

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“This is my first time here. I think it’s wonderful. … I think Henry really liked the ice house and bird sculptures on display here,” Ms. Harrison said. The LeClaire woman and Henry were among thousands of people to enjoy the three-day Icestravaganza held Friday through Sunday, Jan. 17-19, outside the Freight House.  The annual event featured “Art in Ice” – the theme for this year’s icy celebration.  Icestravaganza was produced by the Downtown Davenport Partnership (DDP), an affiliate of the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce. The co-presenting sponsors were Rubberstamps.net and TBK Bank. Additional support was provided by these sponsors: The Family Credit Union, Isle Casino Hotel Bettendorf, Rhythm City Casino Resort, Mel Foster Co., Metronet, Origin Design, City of Davenport, One Step and Hupp Toyota Lift. Icestravaganza had live carving demonstrations as well as free hot cocoa  at a warming station, presented by The Family Credit Union. This year’s event also featured an After Glow Party on Saturday night. Some of the icy art catching the attention of Ms. Harrison, Henry and many other visitors included an ice house (or ice castle, as some people called it), complete with a bench, angel wings and penguin carved in ice. The ice structure was a favorite site for many visitors, who had their pictures taken inside of its icy walls. Other works included an ice eagle, pelican, sea monster and much more “I really love that ice castle. I’m really into the photo ops at this place,” Bella Gerard of East Moline said Saturday while taking in Icestravaganza. In addition to the ice art, the celebration included music playing over loudspeakers throughout the day. One of the oft-repeated songs played was the 1970s rock tune “Cold As Ice”  by Foreigner. On Saturday afternoon,  Matthew Meadows of Bettendorf was the center of attention with many of the visitors to Icestravaganza. The area man, who has volunteered his time to the celebration for the past 12 years, was busy carving a pelican out of ice outside the Freight House. “I’m here to support the businesses with this event. … This has become so big over the years that it has got the attention of (ice carvers/artists) in Minneapolis,” he said. Armed with the tools of the trade, Mr. Meadows and several others used chainsaws, chisels, ice tongs, die grinders, aluminum plates and blow torches to carve and detail the sculptures. By the end of the three-day celebration, Mr. Meadows and a small group of others were expected to carve about 120 ice blocks, or about 18 tons of ice, over the weekend.  “I like all the ice sculptures here, but I’m really here for the free hot chocolate,” said Ms.  Gerard.