Ice sculptors converge on GR

What once was large blocks of ice became works of art depicting cartoon characters, dragons, and even a drum set.

Ice carvers from throughout the U.S. came to Green River to take part in the Crystal Classic’s ice carving competitions hosted at Expedition Island. Coming in from as far as Wisconsin and Nevada, a number of carvers said they come to Green River because of its relative closeness to their locations.

Marco Villareal, a carver from Las Vegas, said the Crystal Classic is much closer than a majority of carving competitions, which take place on the eastern portion of the U.S. For Villareal and other ice carvers living in the western part of the country, the cost of traveling to those competitions can be quite high due to shipping their tools and other items they need. Another attraction for many ice carvers is the prize purse, which compared to other competitions is high, according to Villareal.

Kent Merrill, a carver from Salt Lake City agrees with much of what Villareal said. Merrill has competed at the Crystal Classic for more than a decade and has fallen in love with the community, saying he hopes to retire to Green River.

“This is an artist’s town,” he said. “This town is the absolute best, they just roll out the red carpet.”

He said Green River provides a lot of things to the artists competing. For example, the tarps covering the carvers are provided by the city, along with water and other needs. Sherry Shoemaker, a parks and recreation department employee, said the city focuses on hospitality in order to give competitors a reason to come back to Green River. She said the city provides a few staff members to cater directly to the carvers.

“It helps them focus on their sculptures,” she said.