Fun with Ice: Saranac Lake Creativity

In winter, our friendly forests grow hushed with snow, and our lovely lakes freeze over. We are dedicated to having fun all year 'round, and that includes a few creative options.

When people think of our Winter Carnival, they think of our snowy landscape. But there's more to Carnival than that. In Saranac Lake, "ice" is far more than something to throw in our drinks. We have fun with it!

ice palace

Our most famous ice creation has a long and illustrious history, dating back to 1898. Every year, its design, construction, enjoyment, and then, destruction, is an enterprise which spans a month or more. It begins with the first block sawn from the frozen Pontiac Bay of Lake Flower.

Generations after the Ice Industry was superseded by engines of refrigeration, we still have people who use the same tools, and have the same skills, as their ancestors. Only now, they are cutting ice blocks with enough precision to use as actual building blocks.

A dedicated band of volunteers will work out the upcoming Ice Palace design that is in keeping with the theme of the year. This theme is voted on by the citizens of Saranac Lake. Then the design team takes over. The structure itself is never the same design twice, since the theme is never repeated, and the ice itself... changes.

There is a Zen saying that we can never step into the same river twice. This is meant to evoke the fact that the flowing river changes, moment by moment. This is true even for the frozen surface of an Adirondack river. The ice forms in different layers, and varying thickness, according to weather.

This will create on-site challenges for the builders. They must evaluate the blocks as they emerge from the lake, organizing them for different purposes.

The building of the Ice Palace is a fascinating event in itself. Day by day, the structure grows, revealing more and more of its design.

ice sculptures

The finishing touch of our Ice Palace creation is when the ice sculptures are completed. Like the Ice Palace itself, these sculptures follow the theme for the year.

It is amazing, and sometimes, delicate work. This is not a job for hammer and chisel. Our artists works with chainsaws. When the sun shines through the sculptures, it is an astonishing sight.

Other ice sculptors are resigned to their work appearing in the warmth of a banquet hall and a short, melty, lifespan. But our Winter Carnival temperatures usually ensure a ten-day run (the length of Carnival) and considerable time before and after.

The 2015 theme, The Groovy Sixties, inspired the lunar landing and astronaut, as seen above. But there was also a detailed Magic Bus, which could be boarded and had windows to look out of.

But wait... there is more. Because at night, colored lights are strategically located throughout the Ice Palace, and the theme sculptures, for an amazing extra dimension to the show.

The 2014 theme, Celtic Carnival, created one of the most celebrated sculptures of recent times. The dragon, large enough to peer over the castle ramparts, was a favorite place to have photos taken in front of, which really showed off its impressive dimensions.

Anticipation is high for the 2016 Carnival theme of Superheroes and Villains. What will the Ice Palace be? We won't know until the ice blocks begin to accumulate on the shores of Pontiac Bay.

carnival sports

We don't stop there. Carnival is ten days of fun activities, and a recent entry has proven immensely popular. Arctic Golf is a miniature golf course, with many of its interesting and difficult elements sculpted from ice.

With fluorescent balls, a second-hand club, and a surface that gets smoothed when a volunteer gets a chance, one can be forgiven for thinking this course is already sufficiently challenging. But in classic mini-golf fashion, the course has banks and curves and structures we have to get our golf ball through.

Choose the club carefully. You only get the one. But it's not a course where careful club choice really helps, either.

Inspiration comes from the theme of the year, but also from the famous structures of history. Here, the popular "Ice Henge" is absorbing all this young golfer's attention.

Does Champy, the famous Lake Champlain ice monster, really exist? No one knows for certain, but this winter version offers a tricky approach to the hole, which is a sunken tuna can. This larger-than-regulation hole is a bit of an advantage.

Arctic Golf has proven so popular that this year will be the first Arctic Golf Build-an-Obstacle Contest. This will be a course to remember!

Since Carnival takes over the whole town, there are other interesting uses for ice. Nonna Fina, the Italian restaurant across from the Lake Flower Boat Launch, has a unique contribution. They build their famous Winter Carnival Ice Bar, an outdoor bar constructed of ice.

I can state from personal experience that it is quite exhilarating to be bundled up in the arctic sunshine, enjoying a beverage from the Ice Bar, while sitting near the wooden stove which radiates warmth at our group of friends. It would not work for dining, I admit, but whether we choose an icy martini or some hot chocolate, it is an experience not to be missed.

There's also the Woltner Summit Contracting Spike of Ice Icicle Contest. In which people compete with icicles. Prizes go to the longest, naturally-formed icicles. There are adult and children's divisions.

The winners are truly amazing icicles.

ice skating

We also have the usual kinds of Adirondack ice. Like the kind to skate upon.

In the Saranac Lake Civic Center, Winter Carnival has free skating periods scheduled, along with fun spectator sports like Firemen's Broomball and Children's Skating Races.

There will also be ice "in the wild." There will be open skating until 10:00 PM at the outdoor rink at the Civic Center. There will be the Curling Exhibitions and Pond Hockey tournaments on the frozen lake near the Ice Palace grounds.

We like ice.

Don't miss Winter Carnival. Choose your favorite lodging. Celebrate at a delightful dining spot.