Starting off with delicious treats, literally cool works of art, and appealing music, Newton Community Pride’s fourth-annual WinterFEST –a series of free events held January 24-26 throughout the city — kicked off at the Newton Centre Green.
There, Elida Border, 3, and Patty Cherry, 4, tried to pat an adorable penguin family hanging out on the Green. However, the three creatures weren’t soft and cuddly like stuffed animals — because they were sculpted entirely of ice.
Craig McConnell, owner of Brockton’s Images in Ice, which created the penguins, said they are a “fan favorite.”
McConnell’s daughter Kali McConnell and his employee Sam Sunnie demonstrated the art of ice sculpture to the crowd by drilling and chiseling the final touches on a unicorn that they started in a freezer in their warehouse. In addition to the penguins and unicorn, Images in Ice created two snowflake towers and a big throne on which people could sit for photos.
After observing the sculpture demonstration, people could watch or join Lisa Rudolph, a member of the Boston Hoop Troop, as she performed tricks with hula hoops. Several children also picked up the colorful hoops to try out their own skills while standing in the snow.
Attendees who needed a little pick-me-up during the Friday events indulged in free cocoa and churros from Newton Centre restaurant Mango Tango while listening to the BC Acoustics and Newton North High School Melocotones sing.
The fun continued on Saturday with a guided wintertime walk in Cold Spring Park – including refreshments for people and their dogs. Later, Newtonville Books held a storytime for kids with local author/illustrator Jannie Ho, who demonstrated how she writes and draws.
Saturday evening, a large crowd gathered in Newton Highlands at the Hyde Center for the city’s annual Community Soup Social. There were long lines – moving swiftly – for soup, ice cream, and cookies donated by local restaurants and served by city councilors and state representatives. This year’s event was held inside due to snow and cold, and that greatly warmed the crowd, as did the music by Surefire Band.
On Sunday, the New Art Center hosted a free Winter Craft & Family Dance Party with a photo booth, craft tables, cookies, and kid-friendly dancing to music by Matt Heaton and the Outside Toys.
Olaf, from the movie Frozen, managed to make it to all the WinterFEST events, where he greeted and danced with attendees.
