It's like Christmas in February
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM — The impending snow storm did nothing for dampening the turnout and the spirits at the 14th annual Fire and Ice event downtown Feb. 8. In fact, for visitors it felt more like Christmas.
Organizer Jenn Brytowski of Jennerate said there were 90 pieces of ice added to the downtown landscape. That’s almost 27,000 pounds of ice. Some were interactive. Some were lighted at night. Twenty-five of those blocks were competing for best carved in three categories, Group, Professional and Amateur. Competition, as usual, was epic.
The winners
Amateur: 1st Place - Swan by Rebecca Pataneude, Sponsored block: Hilltop Plumping; 2nd Place - Cupids Arrow by Brenden Poe, Sponsored block: The Putnam Business Association; 3rd Place - Love Doves by David Bates, sponsored block: NorthStar Home Loans, LLC
Group:1st Place - Ice Fishing by Arrik Kim plus, sponsored block: Sawmill Pottery & Silver Circle Gallery; 2nd Place - Little Mermaid Tail - The Complex Students, sponsored block: The Complex Performing and Creative Arts Centre; 3rd Place - Snake by Victoria Scroth plus, sponsored block: Antiques Marketplace.
Professional: 1st Place - Tropical Fish by Billy Poe, sponsored block: Centreville Bank; 2nd Place - Time Flies - Michael Rondeau, sponsored block: Evergreen Farms; 3rd Place - Wolperdinger Mythical Creature by Lisa Kretchman, sponsored block: Wolperdinger Bookends.
Brytowski said: “Every single one of the pieces were so well done. The judges had a really hard time picking the top three in each category this year. The rest of the ice was precarved by Ice Matters who is amazingly talented at working with me to bring the visions of the sponsors to life. We gave our stage an upgrade with more performances through the day and overall I think everyone who came absolutely enjoyed themselves.”
Thousands descended on Putnam. Cars were parked all the way out toward Simonzi Park, across the river, every parking lot. Shuttle buses from Stone Hurst in Hampton ran all day. Putnam Parks and Recreation Director James Callaghan said the event went smoothly.
The event is presented by the Putnam Business Association (PBA), in partnership with the Town of Putnam. Numerous sponsoring business and groups help make it happen every February. Brytowski said: “There is a lot packed into this event and so much to engage with. Everyone takes a piece of this event and runs with it like it’s their own — that’s what makes it so special. A lot of hard work and a lot of effort goes on behind the scenes and I’m proud of the way the leaders, the community and our visitors embrace it.”
Mayor Barney Seney and PBA president Kate Cerrone welcomed all the visitors to Putnam and remarked on all the work that went on behind the scenes to make Fire and Ice a flawlessly amazing event.
Food trucks lined up in the South Main parking lot and the giant heart-shaped fire pit anchored one end of that lot. The Gertrude Chandler Warner Boxcar Children Museum was open for visitors, as well.
There were games, face painting, an art display by the Putnam schools and more.
Ice and fire in every form was around every corner. Entertainment included a fire juggler and Sasha the Fire Gypsy after the sun went down.
Asked about the comments she heard from visitors, she said: “Overall comments were how amazing everything was. Many people were excited to try their hand at the new axe-throwing mobile trailer for the first time. They loved the new warming block space. The fire pit was providing some serious warmth all day and people loved the food trucks and picnic tables area. It’s always impressive to feel the heat off the hot air balloon and to watch all the ice come to life. Some people say it’s like the anticipation you get on Christmas morning.”
caption: Sasha the Fire Gypsy. More photos on page 4. Expanded photo array Wed. night on our FB page: Putnam Town Crier & Northeast Ledger. Linda Lemmon photo.