Ice Sculpting, chili cook-off upcoming

By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer

The Rawlins-Carbon County Chamber of Commerce hopes to hold an ice sculpture contest and chili cook-off on Saturday in an event dubbed “Fire and Ice.”

The two-part event includes an ice sculpturing contest that starts at 8 a.m. The large blocks of ice are provided by Candy Mountain and weigh about 300 pounds. They should be set in the sunshine along Cedar Street so sculptors can carve away in relative warmth. Participants should have six hours to make their design using chainsaws, hammers and chisels, hacksaws, or any other tools they can think of.

“We’ve had Mickey Mouse, dragons and angels in the past,” Chamber President Mike Lujan said. “The blocks stay up until they melt or break, so they usually last a few weeks.”

The chamber is currently searching for businesses interested in sponsoring sculptors for $100, as well as interested sculptors who can carve free of charge if a corporate sponsor is found. Registration is also open for entries in the chili cook-off, which starts at 11 a.m. in the Depot.
Participants cook a pot of green or red chili large enough to serve 100 people. The event costs $5 to enter. Anyone can stop into the Depot to sample the entries and vote.

Judging for both events takes place at 2 p.m. Prizes are available for the first-, second- and third-place finishers in each event. Prizes include gift certificates and other donations from chamber businesses. “Our goal is to get people into town and try to keep them there,” Lujan said.

The deadline for registration is Friday. For more information, call the chamber at 324-4111 or Lujan at 321-6453.