DETROIT – The extreme temps didn’t stop people in Metro Detroit from getting outside. Local 4 caught up with people braving the cold.
The Detroit Riverfront Conservancy is hosting its Fire & Ice Festival this weekend as part of its popular Winter at Valade celebration. Even with the cold, hundreds of people came out to see the ice sculpting competition, listen to the music, and witness the seven-foot ice tower.
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“It sounded super cool, like I’ve traveled to a decent amount of places and I haven’t been to many places like Detroit has with the Fire & Ice festival and it sounded cool and I was like, ‘Yeah, if they’re still having it, I’ll come,” Katrina Timbers said.
Timbers came out to revel at the ice sculptures and soak in the sounds and the Westfield ladies spent the night out enjoying their mom’s 63rd birthday.
“We had pizza at Mootz and then we went to the Museum of Illusions and now we are ending the night here,” Doris Westfield said.
Just 10 minutes away from the festival, at Clark Park, two teams from the Michigan Senior Women’s Hockey League faced off in support of the American Cancer Society.
Despite the icy weather, in a cold-rink competition, they raised over $2,000.
“It’s cold out today, but anybody who gets diagnosed with cancer, they don’t get a choice on whether they get to come out and do this stuff so we are doing it on their behalf,” Lynn McNamee, the Spittin’ Chicklets’, goalie.
“Renting the ice here is even a way to give back to the community,” Christina Oswald, the center for the TOT Ms. Conducts says.
The organizers of the Fire & Ice Festival agree – community is the purpose of the programming.
“That’s why we started doing Winter at Valade,” Rachel Frierson, the chief operating officer of the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy said. “It’s a way to build that community, even in these times that are really dark, cold and lonely. Today, this is really just a reflection that Detroit wants to be together - and why not do it outside.”
If people are outside, it’s important to know the signs of frostbite. For a list of those symptoms and a warning from an emergency room director, click here.