By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Outside in the frigid cold, the lone ice sculptor chiseled away at his work.
Inside, hundreds of people shed their layers and loaded up on steaming hot chili.
Both the chill and the chili were part of the eighth annual Winterfest celebration in Bowling Green going on this weekend.
At noon today in City Park, ice artist Doug Corcoran was finishing up his 15th carving after starting his work at 7 this morning. The cold, which peaked in the teens, didn’t bother him under his five layers of clothing.
“I’m doing fine actually. I like the cold,” he said.
“Some of the ice is really brittle,” but there was no chance of his artwork melting away this weekend, he said.
Each ice carving started as a 350-pound chunk of ice. Corcoran, of Sylvania, then used a chainsaw and chisel to sculpt the ice into artwork.
From Bowling Green, Corcoran is headed to an event in Dayton for more carving. In between, he will have a chance to thaw out.
“He cranks up the heat in the car,” his wife, Annie, said.
Corcoran wasn’t the only one braving the bitter cold this morning. About 50 runners showed up for the Frostbite Fun Run in City Park. One of those was Kristin Otley, head of the Bowling Green Parks and Recreation Department.
“I couldn’t feel my legs,” Otley said after the run. By the time the race began, the temperature had warmed up to 10 degrees, but it felt like minus 3, she said.
The extreme cold wasn’t keeping any of the Winterfest events from occurring, except for the carriage rides. “It’s too cold for the horses,” Otley said, noting the irony that it wasn’t too frigid for the runners.
The chill wasn’t a problem inside the Veterans Building in City Park, where people were lined up for the annual chili cook-off. Big roasters and crock pots of piping hot chili quickly warmed up the insides of people coming in from the cold.
“This is a favorite,” said Wendy Chambers, head of the Bowling Green Visitors and Conventions Bureau.
There were 14 variations of the dish, including sweet potato chili, three meat chili steeped with maple sausage, hamburger and short ribs, chili made with home grown and canned tomatoes, and Indian masala chili with saffron rice.
The chili concoctions were made by local organizations, businesses and individuals.
Phi Gamma Delta fraternity from Bowling Green State University, served up its “Snowy White Owl Chili.”
“We were playing around all day making chili, and we found one we liked,” said Nick Wheeler, as he stirred the pot of white chili. The name was somewhat deceiving, since it referenced the fraternity’s symbol, not an ingredient.
“No snowy white owls have been harmed in the making of this chili,” Wheeler said.
Some chili ingredients traveled long distances to be served up at the Winterfest. Drew Hanna and Kathy Mitterway made their sweet red pepper chili using small red and black beans that they could only find in Long Island, where Mitterway lives. When Hanna last visited Long Island, he made sure to smuggle back the secret ingredient.
“I drove back with two dozen cans of the small beans,” he said.
As an added attraction, the pair served up squares of cornbread with their chili.
“We’re trying every angle here,” Hanna said.
Some groups at the cook-off were all about the presentation. Exchange Club members wore prisoner caps, balls and chains, and signs from Riker’s Island, Folsom Prison and Alcatraz as they dished up their “Chain Gang Chili.”
Next to the Exchange Club were the Kiwanis Club members with their silver chafing dishes of chili, and crystal bowls chilling the toppings of sour cream, shredded cheese, cilantro, jalapenos, and homemade cornbread croutons.
“Nothing but the best,” said Kiwanian Denise Niese.
Winterfest activities will continue through the weekend. A list of events of can be found at the Facebook page for WinterfestBG.
