Kids had icy fun under the sun

The sun was shining, marshmallows were roasting, and ice was being carved.

Kids of all ages were enjoying the warm February day on Expedition Island this Saturday at the Crystal Classic Winter Festival.

Outside, there were children watching in awe and amazement as the ice carvers created works of art out of what was once a large block of ice. One of the sculptures was the dragon Mushu from the Disney movie "Mulan." There was a rock-star astronaut playing a guitar atop a crescent moon. Another was a wolfman; a man's body with a wolf's head.

Other ice sculptures kids especially had fun with were the interactive ice sculptures. These were new this year. They were games made out of ice; a bean-bag toss and a corn hole game. The two sculptures used in the game were carved into the shapes of Charles Schultz' Snoopy and Olaf from the movie "Frozen."

The interactive ice sculptures also made for fun peek-a-boo photos. Many kids peeked their heads through the circle holes made in the sculptures for photos of themselves in the ice, posing next to Snoopy and Olaf.

On the warmer side of things, kids collected marshmallows at the free smores station, put on by volunteers from the Green River First Church of the Nazarene, to roast at the little fire pits placed nearby. Kids and adults alike enjoyed hovering around the fires, attempting for that perfect golden-brown marshmallow. Others were not so patient, but the burnt marshmallows tasted just as good enveloped in graham crackers and chocolate.

Inside the Pavilion, there were various stations of arts and crafts for children to make. There was a station to make popsicle snow flakes, a station of painting with condensed milk, and another painting with cotton swabs and pom poms.