While the theme of this year’s Festival of Ice in Clarks Summit is “Around the World,” some groups a little closer to home were more than happy to put in a helping hand to ensure the annual event continues to be a success.
Sponsored by the Abington Business & Professionals Association, the Festival of Ice brings in a variety of carvers to create magnificent ice sculptures for all to enjoy. Visitors can walk around to view the sculptures and even participate in a photo scavenger hunt, as well as shop area businesses and vendors.
This year one local school decided to get involved in the event to bring both joy – and a bit of education – for all.
Event organizer and Imagine NEPA owner Katie Lane reached out to the South Abington PTA to see if they would like to have a hand in this year’s festivities, and the group was happy to oblige.
The South Abington Elementary PTA partnered with Spirited Art to sponsor a sculpture, and can’t wait for the students to see it.
“We love the community and supporting local businesses, so we jumped at the chance to be part of this event,” explained Dr. Amy Krukovitz, PTA Vice President of membership and programs. “This event brings in people from all over to the area and continues to grow each year.”
Aside from sponsoring a sculpture with local business Spirited Art, the group has also partnered with Hooked on State Street to hold a soup fundraiser. The South Abington PTA will be selling cups of soup at the food tent within Pocket Park. Visitors can also buy vouchers for larger orders of soup that can be picked up at Hooked.
“Proceeds will go towards helping us with educational programming, our hardship fund to help families in need, teacher grants for supplies, and educational events,” Krukovitz said.
With “Around the World” as the festival’s theme this year, she added that the group couldn’t have picked a better year to get involved. With education being a primary focus for the PTA, the ice festival is an opportunity to show students how to celebrate different area of the world while educating them on various traditions.
Keeping in tune with “Around the World”, area businesses participating in the festival are also expanding their offerings throughout the event to reflect the theme.
For some additional education a reptile exhibit will be held inside Imagine NEPA on January 28th featuring P.T. Reptiles.
Krukovitz urges visitors to shop the many talented area vendors as they make their way through the festival, and stop to watch while the live artists create the stunning ice sculptures.
The Festival of Ice runs from Jan. 27 through 29 and kicks off with an evening parade featuring lighted floats, over 50 sculptures, live entertainment and more.
