On the street

Light the Night Holiday Festival and Parade

It's hard to believe Christmas is next weekend, when we haven't had any snow to speak of. I went walking the other night after work and was comfortable wearing a hooded sweatshirt with no coat. Tonight, at Hiawatha's first Light the Night Holiday Festival and Parade, the temperature was a shade over 30 degrees. My glove-free fingers eventually went numb, but only after I watched the entire parade. Not bad for Dec. 15.

I will admit that snow adds to the ambiance of an event like this. If I remember right, it snowed last year during Cedar Rapids' holiday parade, and it added to the experience (even though my toes nearly froze off).

But, I won't complain. I certainly don't want to jinx this good weather so we all have to shovel our driveways and commute on slick roads. And, after all, there was plenty of ice in Hiawatha tonight to make up for the lack of snow.

The ice arrived in front of Hiawatha Elementary in a block about the size of a kindergartener. John White, 54, of Dubuque, transformed it into Ernie from Sesame Street. The design was inspired by a coloring book, and White gave it a holiday twist by adding a stack of blocks that spelled out NOEL and creating a star at the fingertips of Ernie's raised hand.

Ice carving is fascinating to watch. I missed the step involving a chain saw because White started the sculpture around 4:15 p.m. I didn't arrive until nearly 6 p.m., when he was using smaller tools to whittle the details. White said he's been making ice sculptures for 30-plus years. He makes sculptures out of ice, wood, snow and sand and competes internationally. To make a living, he does restoration contracting. He makes the ice sculptures year-round for weddings and other special events.

I wasn't the only one interested in White's masterpiece. The parade distracted his spectators, but before it started, he had 100 to 150 people watching and asking questions. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I hope it's cold this weekend. That way, the sculpture will stick around long enough for you all to check it out, and for the school kids to see on Monday morning.

That's it until next week, when Carly will hit the mall to find out how people found out the truth about Santa.

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