2020 Specialty Events

This year's Ice Carousel Festival will bring a NEW Raffle

COMMUNITY FOCUS 12/27/19

Our guests today were Chris Von Berge, Little Falls Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director, Melissa Peterson, Charles Lindberg House and Museum Site Manager, and Chuck Zwilling, Ice Fest Coordinator.

  Starts around 4:19 into the podcast

WJJY's "Community Focus" is the longest-running locally produced, community affairs program in the Brainerd area. Hosted by WJJY's program director, Ken Thomas and news director, Tess Taylor. If it’s happening in the Brainerd Lakes Area, it’s on Community Focus.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from PodcastOne / Hubbard Radio, which is the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by SpinningIceForKids.

Postponed due to lack of ice

Originally set for Saturday - Sunday, Jan. 11 - 12, 2020, from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. both days, on Green Prairie Fish Lake, organizers have moved the event to Feb. 8 - 9, 2020.

The Sunny Zwilling Memorial Ice Carousel Extravaganza, also known as ICE Fest, has been postponed, due to lack of ice. 

Ice thickness is about 6 1/2 to 7 3/4 inches, which isn’t thick enough to handle the activities and people. One of the organizers, Chuck Zwilling, said for safety’s sake, they want at least 12 inches of ice.

Updates posted on Facebook site

Read the full newspaper article: https://www.hometownsource.com/morrison_county_record/community/ice-fest-event-postponed-due-to-lack-of-ice/article_07104120-28b9-11ea-80cd-5bd7636e3ae0.html


** View this month's WARM Weather for December 2019 here


Lakeland PBS

I.C.E. Fest 2020 Promo Video

NOTE:

The dates for the Sunny Zwilling Memorial Ice Carousel Extravaganza- ICE Fest #LittleFallsMN have been pushed back to Feb. 8 & 9 to give mother nature a little extra time to make better ice! Mark your calendars for this amazing event! #FlyerPride 

for more info visit: MnIceFest.com

2019 Year-End Favorites

Land of 10,000 Stories in 2019 These are the people who brightened the year. Author: Boyd Huppert Published: 9:44 PM CST January 1, 2020 Updated: 10:24 PM CST January 1, 2020 Kare11 | Land of 10,000 Stories Featured Us under the HAVING FUN label for 2019 Favorites.

LAND OF 10,000 STORIES | KARE11.COM

Other Stories in the "Having Fun" category included:

HAVING FUN starts at 4:17

• The Zwilling family carved the world’s largest ice carousel on a lake near Little Falls. https://kare11.tv/2Sc1jzS
• An Elk River marathon run on a baseball diamond has one rule: turn left. https://kare11.tv/2HPkfxX
• Jeff Nelson - Anoka’s “Superfan” - attended his 1500th high school graduation party. https://kare11.tv/2J1bnFN
• Ditch Ducks become a roadside curiosity along Highway 65 in Aitkin County. https://kare11.tv/2WWjSWp
• 108-year-old Harry Camp and 105-year-old Don Carruth met for an epic cribbage match. https://kare11.tv/2QNjxCe
• John King created his final Minnesota State All Hockey Hair Team video. https://kare11.tv/2H9lcBC

Ice Fest Delayed - Donations Explained

*Due to not enough ice on the lake, ICE FEST has been postponed until Feb 8 and 9th.

The 3rd Annual Sunny Zwilling Memorial Ice Carousel Extravaganza, I.C.E. Fest, is a FREE Family-Friendly Weekend of outdoor events to help stomp out children’s hunger. The event will be raising funds for Flyer Pride Pack- a weekend food backpack program for elementary kids that live at risk of weekend hunger.

Flyer Pride Pack, provides students at risk of not eating over the weekend with SEVEN healthy meals for the weekend (per student) - (2) breakfast items, (2) lunch items, (3) entrees, snack, and fruit.

Estimated Cost: $5.25/bag x 36 weeks of school = $200.00 per year for one child.

There are approximately 60 students in the program currently, totaling $12,000 per year for all of the students.

If you would like to contribute and you are unable to go click here.

December 25, 2019 | MacaroniKid | St. Cloud -View the full article here 

View their  2nd Annual Event  posting for MacaroniKid | St. Cloud

Throwback to 2019

Little Falls Community Schools

#8...Spinning sheets of ice certainly brought our audience's approval while helping to raise awareness and funds for our backpack program. Thank you Sunny Zwilling Memorial Ice Carousel Extravaganza- ICE Fest! #FlyerPride

Little Falls Community Schools

Originally Posted January 7, 2019 · 

This weekend is the Sunny Zwilling Memorial Ice Carousel Extravaganza- ICE Fest! Not only will there be activities galore for the entire family, but the event will also benefit The Flyer Pride Pack--a weekend food backpack program for elementary kids who live at risk of weekend hunger! Check out the event at Green Prairie Fish Lake this weekend and watch the efforts to reclaim the World Record for the Largest Ice Carousel! Click on Sunny Zwilling Memorial Ice Carousel Extravaganza- ICE Fest to learn more about this event!

Little Falls Community Schools

Originally Posted November 26, 2018 

· 

 It's beginning to feel like winter, and to the delight of the many outdoor enthusiasts from Minnesota, conditions are ideal for making ice on local lakes. This ice will not only benefit anglers, but it will also provide a direct benefit to some students from Little Falls Community Schools.  

Remember to mark your calendars for January 12-13, 2019, for the Sunny Zwilling Memorial Ice Carousel Extravaganza- ICE Fest! The event is focused on "Reclaiming the World Record" and generating funds for our weekend food backpack program: Flyer Pride Packs. Plus, there are so many entertaining activities assuring the weekend will be packed with family fun!

Check out the Sunny Zwilling Memorial Ice Carousel Extravaganza- ICE Fest to learn more about this exciting event as well as their goal to raise $12,000 for the Flyer Pride Packs!

News: Quebecers Fancy-A-Spin

Friends from Clerval, Quebec, smashed the record on Dec. 7th, 2019 carving a perfect, spinning circle of ice 209 meters in diameter.

An ice disk bigger than four CFL football fields has made a group of friends from Quebec's Abitibi region world record holders.

Jean-François Richard, along with ten of his friends and colleagues from Clerval, Que., about 100 kilometres northwest of Rouyn-Noranda, built the world's largest ice carousel last week, setting it spinning on Dec. 7.

"At this time of the year, there's not so much to do over there," Richard told CBC's Breakaway. "It's cold, not enough snow to do snowmobile, so we just decided to say, 'Hey, let's do it!'"

An ice carousel is made by cutting a round disk into a sheet of solid ice, causing the disk to spin on top of the water. Only once it spins a full rotation is the disk considered a proper carousel.

It was Richard's first attempt to beat the world record, something he's been wanting to do ever since he first saw the carousels on YouTube.

"It was a challenge between nations," he said. "The Americans did a big one last year, about 509 feet [155 metres] in diameter.… We just wanted to make it bigger!"

The Abitibi carousel had a final diameter of 209.7 metres and an area of 34,307 square metres. (By comparison, a CFL football field, including the end zones, is 8,152 square metres.)

The ten-person team spent all day Saturday cutting the ice carousel and getting it to move. (Submitted by Jean-François Richard)

While ice carousels are not recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records, there is a World Ice Carousel Association that keeps track of big carousels. It recognized Richard's carousel as the largest yet.

The making of an ice carousel

Richard said the hardest part of making the carousel was the precision involved. There was only a 20-centimetre gap between the disk and the rest of the ice, and once completed, if the disk hadn't made a full rotation, its record size wouldn't count.

To make sure it was a perfect circle, they put a pole in the ice and tied a rope to a snowmobile, which drove around it. 

Once they traced the disk's perimeter, they had to actually cut through the ice.

"We decided to build ourselves a big chainsaw with two blades, to cut the [entire] gap at once," Richard explained. 

Jean-François Richard's team built a two-bladed saw to cut the 20-centimetre gap needed to make the carousel spin. (Submitted by Jean-François Richard) 

"We started building the saw first last year, and we did a test on a small scale," he said. "We had some modifications to make … and this year it worked perfectly!"

Richard said he and his friends didn't intend to tackle the world record over the weekend. Initially, they were planning to do a practice run with a 61-metre (200-foot) diameter disk.

But "our team said, 'Just do it bigger,'" said Richard, laughing.

Once the disk was cut, Richard's team used two outboard motors and snowmobiles attached to the ice with winches to get the disk spinning.

Richard said he was happy to know they'd beaten the world record, but he didn't expect the feat to garner the attention it did on social media.

"I'm sure my mom is pretty proud of us," he said.

A member of the Abitibi team celebrates their victory. However, a team in Minnesota has already challenged Jean-François Richard's crew for the title of world's biggest ice carousel, with a plan to build a bigger one early next year. (Submitted by Jean-François Richard)

A new challenger approaches

Because ice carousels can only be made under the right winter conditions, other teams will also be making attempts in the weeks to come, Richard said.

He's already received a call from a man in Minnesota who said they'll be trying to take the title away from the Clerval team in early January.

"There is a tradition in the ice carousel association that the actual record holder has to go physically, in person, to the side that tries to beat us," he said.

Richard said he plans to go to Minnesota with the trophy, so he can hand it over in person if they manage to beat his team's record. 

"But they have to be aware that Canadians are very competitive," he said. "We will just do better after them."

Richard said they plan to make another ice carousel next year, and he hopes the public will get involved in the attempt.

Watch Jean-François Richard's team beat the world record for largest ice carousel here:

With files from CBC Breakaway

On Dec. 7, 2019 Jean-François Richard and his team in Clerval, Que., completed the world's biggest spinning ice carousel, measuring more than 209 metres in diameter. (Submitted by Jean-François Richard)

Adapted from: CBC News | Posted: Dec 11, 2019 1:12 PM CST | "Fancy a spin? Quebecers in Abitibi break world record for largest ice carousel "

Canadians Go For Record

Huge Ice Carousel Breaks World Record
Canadians seem to have plenty of experience when it comes to cold weather! In Quebec, Jean-François Richard and his team recently beat the record for building the world's biggest ice carousel. The huge spinning disk is an astounding 687.99 feet in diameter.

- " you have to keep busy in winter! We're in the end where we can't do much. There's not enough snow to snowmobile... we saw this on the internet 2 years ago and started doing tests last year..."

- Jean-francois Richard

---------------------

They've made one in Clerval, Abitibi, Quebec. Some 686 feet dia. Unless another one gets build, they hope to break the old record by 100ft.

This video from Canada Premiered Dec 8, 2019 so we are gonna have to UP our game come February 2020 at our 3rd Annual IceFest event

--------------------------------------

PODCAST Dec. 10, 2019: Abitibi: The World champion of ice carousels

An ice disk spinning on a lake with a diametre nearly twice the length of a football field. That it is what it took for a group in the Abitibi to secure the title of the world's biggest ice carousel. The team was lead by Jean-François Richard and he -- along with 10 of his colleagues and friends -- worked on the ice carousel all day last Saturday before getting the record. He speaks with Breakaway host Alison Brunette.

Aired: Dec. 10, 2019

https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-79-breakaway

Thanks Jean-François Richard for the shout out at the 8:00 minute mark, but you guys deserve all the credit. 688’ is HUGE!

He plans on bringing the trophy to MN in January [now February ] .

River Travel Magazine Feature

 World Record Breaking Ice Carousel in Little Falls, Minnesota

River Travel Magazine | Published 2019-11-16 6:48:04am | Updated 2020-04-18 3:47:36pm

Little Falls, MN:  This year’s I.C.E Fest in Little Falls, Minnesota is January 11-12 on Green Prairie Fish Lake.  Canada recently took hold of the World Record with an ice carousel that was 688 feet wide. Which is nearly a half mile around,  the crew behind I.C.E. Fest has a new record to beat.

Visitors have noted that the ice carousel is pretty impressive in itself, but there’s more to do at I.C.E. Fest then just watch the carousel spinning, visitors may try their hand in one of curling, ice hockey, or ice skating events including snowmobile rides.

The Fest is free, but visitors are encouraged to join in on the fundraiser to feed kids who live in households under the poverty line.  The event is on year three and has raised over $15,000 so far to feed children. The Flyer Pride Pack program sends kids home from school with a bag of nutritious, kid-friendly meals for the weekend.

About Little Falls, MN

Little Falls is a fun spot up North, travelers can warm up at the local brewery, explore the quaint shops downtown, or take a tour of some historic mansions.  Little Falls is home to beautiful bed and breakfasts along with lake resorts and standard hotels. There’s some great dining choices too, including one recognized as “Restaurant of the Year” by the Minnesota Restaurant Association (www.littlefallsmn.com)

I.C.E Fest Contact 
Chuck Zwilling   320.249.1504 
 www.MnIceFest.com

Little Falls CVB Contact 
Sabrina Koelsch  Marketing Manager
Little Falls Convention & Visitors Bureau   606 1st Street SE Little Falls, MN 56345
320-616-4959    lfcvb@lfcvb.com     www.littlefallsmn.com

I.C.E. FEST	LITTLE FALLS, MN
ICE CAROUSEL	LITTLE FALLS, MN

The Farmshow Promotion

A fun article that the @FARMSHOWMagazine ran about I.C.E. Fest 2019. Thank you Dee Goerge for your interest in getting the story out there and helping us promote the World Record Attempt Benefiting Hungry Kids (ICE Fest 2020)!
It took about 9 hrs. altogether to cut out the latest carousel. It kept turning from 1 p.m. on Friday until 12:30 p.m. on Saturday.
With four smaller 45-ft. diameter carousels inside, dedicated to major sponsors for the 2019 event, along with 70 other businesses/groups that raised $16,500 for Flyer Pride Pack.

Exerpts from Article including these little fun facts:

506.2 ft. diameter, 4.6 acre, 8,000-ton circle of ice, 16-in. thick ice,
 49 min. to make a complete rotation

“It’s gone from family fun to world competition, a friendly game of one-upmanship that benefits our community,”

“The first year we used an ice chipper and string to mark a circle in the snow,” Chuck Zwilling recalls. Now in 2019,  they insert a 4x4 into the ice and hook a cable on it to create a perfect circle with a chainsaw secured on a “Chainsaw Chariot” built from a tracked snowblower by Zwilling’s son-in-law, Mike Ruegemer. 

They’ve also learned to angle the 36-in. chainsaw bar and only cut part way with the first cut (about 8 in.) and then go around again. 

Safety features were added this year including - cones, caution tape and a shoveled path that led to a “bridge” to cross the 9-in. open water.

View The Original FARM SHOW Magazine Article:

 2019 - Volume 43 Issue 6 Page 22

 [Archived Article  |   Print Original Magazine Article |    Full Size Article Screenshot Archived

Archived Image 1  -Mike and Chuck cutting ice with chariot-
Giant powered ice carousel measures 508 ft. in dia. and is rotated by 4 electric trolling motors. Four smaller carousels were cut into the big one.
 

 Archived Image 2  - Aerial View of 2019 Carousel 
To cut the ice they use a chainsaw secured on a “Chainsaw Chariot” built out of a tracked snowblower.

PDF Article Format Download
Click here to download the page story appeared in.

FARMSHOWMagazine | Facebook

FARM SHOW Magazine
P.O. Box 1029
Lakeville, MN 55044
Order by Phone 800-834-9665

http://farmshow.com/ Website

Just for Fun ... Ice Wall and Flames

Feb 17, 2019 - Minnetonka, Mn. [Redemption Island] use of Tiki Lamps

Janne and Crew Coming To MN

Chuck received this email looks like our friends from Finland will be attending again. Note from Janne reads as:

Hi!
I gathering team to travel to ICE fest. If we arrive around 7th of january and back to finland on 13th? I do not know how many would be coming, but I will start checking. At least Maaria and Ismo are most likely coming.
This is part of the crew that we will be attempting to take the World Record from. They will bring the traveling trophy with to leave it with us if/when we succeed.
Janne Käpylehto
Ismo Apell

Just for Fun - Stump Grinder

Funny how you see everyone getting in on the fun with creating ice carousels...

2020 Weather Predictions

.: Postponed :. Due to poor ice conditions, I.C.E. Fest has been rescheduled for February 8, 2020 - February 9, 2020 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m

Provided by: January Accuweather Predictions

** February Outlook Predictions Provided by: Accuweather Predictions

2019 WEATHER REPORT

Accuweather Predictions

IceFest 2019 - Gallery

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Explore Minnesota - IceFest 2020

• UPCOMING
•  January 11, 2020 - January 12, 2020
  10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

ABOUT 2019 EVENT

The 2nd Annual Sunny Zwilling Memorial Ice Carousel Extravaganza, I.C.E. Fest, is a FREE Family Friendly Weekend of outdoor events to help stomp out children’s hunger. The event will be raising funds for Flyer Pride Pack- a weekend food backpack program for elementary kids that live at risk of weekend hunger.
More than 60 Little Falls area businesses have come together to help sponsor the event that our family is hosting on January 12th (10:00am-8:00pm) and January 13th (10:00am-6:00pm) at Green Prairie Fish Lake, 12636 Forest Road in Little Falls. Thank you to all of the businesses and volunteers involved! 
This year’s ice carousel will be solar powered and will be large enough to regain the World Record for the Largest Ice Carousel (current record is 427’). 
Other activities will include Curling, Speed Skating, Hockey, Figure Skating, Fat Tire bikes, Nordic Skiing, Striders, Igloo building and Open skating under the lights. Check out www.MnIceFest.com for all the latest details. 
This is event is open to the public with Free onsite parking and a Free shuttle with parking at Main Gate Bar and Grill, 15041 MN-115, Little Falls. 

-Chuck Zwilling of Little Falls, MN. 320-249-1504 

VIDEOS

CBS Local Video  2019 - /little-falls-attempts-to-create-worlds-largest-ice-carousel/

Discovery Canada Video: from 2018 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9lsZ96ET5k&feature=youtu.be 

source: https://www.exploreminnesota.com/events/38125/ice-fest

2020 - Little Falls MN Chamber

3rd I.C.E. Fest - Annual Sunny Zwilling Memorial Ice Carousel Extravaganza

*SAVE THE DATE*. The 3^rd Annual I.C.E. Fest

Name: 3rd I.C.E. Fest - Annual Sunny Zwilling Memorial Ice Carousel Extravaganza

NEW Date:  February 8, 2020 - February 9, 2020

Event Description:

Saturday, February 8 - Sunday, February 9
3rd Annual I.C.E. Fest Sunny Zwilling Memorial Ice Carousel Extravaganza
Saturday, February 8 ~ 10:00 am - 8:00 pm
Sunday, February 9 ~ 10:00 am - 6:00 pm
Green Prairie Fish Lake, Forrest Rd., Little Falls

Come out an enjoy this one of a kind experience on Green Prairie Fish Lake. An attempt to break the world record for an ice carousel, which is a moving circular piece.   Watch for the schedule of event times to be posted..  Donations benefiting the Flyer Pride Pack program

Image Source: Kare11.com

Visit http://www.littlefallsmnchamber.com/ for complete details...