TECUMSEH — The holidays are long past and we have settled into another cold Michigan winter.

But cold weather is no reason to stay locked indoors until spring. The city of Tecumseh offers a great way to embrace the winter chill with its 15th annual Ice Sculpture Festival on the weekend of Jan. 20 and 21.

Festival goers will find plenty of gleaming ice sculptures along Chicago Boulevard during the event, officially open from 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. After the weekend, the ice creations will remain on the boulevard until they melt away.

Most of the elaborately carved ice sculptures are designed specifically by the businesses and organizations which sponsor the event. According to Rhonda Nowak, Marketing and Event Coordinator for the City of Tecumseh, the 2024 event should have more than 40 ice sculptures, all carved by artists from Ice Creations in Napoleon, Ohio. There is no overall theme for the festival, Nowak said, in order to allow each business the opportunity to display a sculpture of their choice. 

The ice carvers will arrive in Tecumseh on Friday, Jan. 19, bringing most of the already completed sculptures. They will also bring eight more large blocks of ice, four of which will be turned into lavish creations during the dueling ice carver competitions at 1 and 3 p.m. on Saturday. The other four will also be turned into ice sculptures during the weekend.

A dueling carver competition will take place at the corner of Chicago Boulevard and Evans Street, where two carvers will saw, chip and chisel the ice to create sculptures based on suggestions from spectators.  Once complete, the audience will vote for the best creation.

Other festival attractions include a scavenger hunt, open to all those interested in searching for answers at downtown businesses. Maps with clues will be available at the participating establishments as well as from a box placed at the Four Corners. Participants will have the opportunity to win a prize packet filled with more than $200 worth of gift cards from Tecumseh businesses. A drawing for the winner, from all entries received, will take place the following week.

On Sunday afternoon, guests from the Michigan Avian Experience will be downtown to help educate the public about the care of Michigan’s bird population. They will also bring a bald eagle, America’s national symbol, for attendees to get an up-close look and snap a photo or two.

Those searching for a pick-me-up from the cold can take part in the Winter Warm-up Beverage Walk, with several businesses offering samples of hot chocolate and other warm beverages and treats. While all of the local eating establishments will be open for guests, other special culinary options during the weekend will be the food truck from Tecumseh’s own Sunset Ridge BBQ, and a return of the Toledo Mini Donuts truck. 

The festival was started 15 years ago, Nowak said, to give Tecumseh businesses a boost after the holiday season. It is made possible by a three-tier level of sponsors: gold sponsors Visit Lenawee and Old National Bank; silver sponsors Next Era Energy Resources, the Tecumseh Downtown Development Authority, Tecumseh Central Business Association and the City of Tecumseh; and bronze sponsors Premier Bank and Chevrolet of Clinton.