Greetings, my fellow Local Guides 
Wow - Connect is so different! 
I’m excited to be making for first post on the new platform. If you were around in 2023, then you might have seen my post about the ice sculptures? If not, then here’s your chance to see this year’s!
We are always looking for something new to experience, especially if we can find a road trip or day trip close by. This year marked our third visit to the Butler Carved in Ice festival and it continues to amaze us! Our first visit, a few years back, exceeded our expectations, and this year was no different.
Wow - This event was so much more than anticipated, again!
As always Main Street was closed for blocks, allowing plenty of space for attendants to roam. There was a large selection of vendors, from wine and whiskey merchants to smoked BBQ sandwiches or freshly popped kettle corn. Scheduled events included a chili cook-off, hot dog eating contest, face painting, fire trucks, and cornhole.
This year, we made sure to grab tickets for the chili contest and it was a highlight! The variety was incredible - each booth offered a unique and flavorful take on chili. It was amazing how different, yet equally delicious, each one was. From spicy and smoky to sweet and savory, there was something for everyone. It was a tough competition, but we enjoyed sampling each entry and casting our votes. In typical Michael and Melissa fashion - we both voted for the same chili 
Clearly, they also had a lot of AMAZING ice sculptures! Most are carved on Friday afternoon and evening, but they were working hard to craft a few large sculptures on Saturday. I didn’t take a count, but there were at least 20 of the smaller sculptures throughout the square. All of them were carved with intricate details! Some were whimsical and fun, others historic or patriotic. There were a lot of animal-themed carvings, including some of the large ones. You’ll see below that they were all expertly carved and beautiful.
We are always impressed by how friendly everyone is and the downtown seemed pretty vibrant. I even came across some new murals, but that’s for another post!
If you’re looking for a fun, family-friendly event that makes for a great day trip, add a reminder to your calendar for 2026 and we’ll see ya there! 
Do you have any winter celebrations in your community, or one that’s close by? Have you attended one this winter? If so, share them in the comments - I’d love to see how everyone was staying entertained during the colder months!
I hadn’t realized just how long it’s been since I’ve “connected” with everyone on Connect. Lots of new faces and the platform is quite different!
The first year was my eye opener. I took a ton of photos then realized most sucked, once I started reviewing them 
Ice is certainly not the easiest medium to photograph but I embrace the challenge.