A warm day for ice carving

SALISBURY ­— Last Saturday was one of the warmest days of the year so far, but that didn’t keep 10 artists from participating in the Salisbury Winter Sports Association’s eighth annual ice-carving competition.

The contest was held on the Green at The White Hart Inn (which was a co-sponsor of the event, along with Klemm Real Estate).

Ice sculptors — amateur and professionals — used pretty much anything and everything (knives, axes, chainsaws, picks, blowtorches, even clothing irons) to turn massive chunks of ice into art.

J.P. Hedbavny, a co-chairman of the event and a competitor, conceded the weather was a tad warmer than most of the contestants would have liked.

“But a good ice sculptor works with what they get,â€� Hedbavny said. “Ice sculpting is a lesson in futility.  It humbles you. It’s all a zen thing. It’s a medium that’s unique to work with.â€�

So unique was Mark Grusauski’s creation that, well, he didn’t know what he was making.

“I have no clue what this is,�Grusauski, a native of North Canaan, said as he designed the circles for his strange masterpiece. “It’s all a work in progress. Whatever it is. It’s cool, though.�

Millerton resident Patty Hayes, along with her son Andrew, 5, and daughter Amy, 7, created a dragon.

“It’s a very stylish and precise kind of art,� Hayes said. “I think it’s neat.�

In the end, Jeff Scarpa won the professional division with his Pegasus Unicorn. Larry Siragusa took second place with Swimming Dragon, J.P. Hedbavny was third with Peace Frog and Zejke Hermann came in fourth with Forest Nymph.

Jeremiah Bickford won the amateur division with Hope World, a design by Sharon resident Kristen Nweeia that incorporated the Japanese symbol for peace. Louis Torchio came in second with Empty Cage, Full Cat, and Mark Brandoher was third with Freaky Tiki.

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