Ever Watch an Ice Sculpting Contest?

Now's your chance!  The Third Annual Reading Fire + Ice Fest is just days away –The winter extravaganza is Friday, January 13th -  Saturday, January 14th, and will feature something for everyone. All of the outdoor activities will be centered in the 500 block of Penn Street in downtown Reading. Plus, two special events a Snowfall Ball and a chili cook off will be held in the DoubleTree Hotel on Saturday. Nominal fees will be charged for both events.

As in the past, master carvers from Sculpted Ice Works near Scranton will be on hand to strut their stuff. They will conduct ice carving exhibitions both days and will go head to head in competitions Saturday afternoon between 2 and 4 p.m. And look for large, interactive ice sculptures that will entertain young and old. We’ll be turning up the heat, too, with fiery performances by Madeleine Belle of Philadelphia and Burning Hearts Fire & Light Theater from Allentown.

And the excitement doesn’t stop there! New this year is a 5K race and 1 mile fun run organized by Corps Fitness in Wyomissing. These activities will be held Saturday morning near the campus of Reading Area Community College at Second and Penn Streets.

Also new is a beer garden at Fifth and Penn Streets. A tasty variety of beers, along with hearty pub food. will be available for sale. Add to that, the return of the ever popular wine tent! Wine by the bottle and glass will be for sale both days. In addition to the great assortment of restaurants downtown, there will be food trucks, s’mores and hot chocolate, and Girl Scout cookies for sale.

Tied into this year’s fest is a special event at Santander Arena - World Championship Ice Racing on Friday night at 7:30. The show will feature the toughest, fastest and most extreme, flat track motorcycle and A.T.V. racers in the world! The Goggleworks is also returning with glass blowing demonstrations.

Reading Fire + Ice Fest is organized and produced by The Reading Downtown Improvement District and supported in large part by the Hawley and Myrtle Quier Fund of the Berks County Community Foundation.

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