2nd annual Arctic Wonderland is Saturday at Pocket Park
There may be some signs of the coming spring, but winter is not quite ready to let go of its grip on the region.
To that end, the Roxborough Development Corp. is partnering with Ice Sculpture Philly to present the 2nd Annual Arctic Wonderland at the Pocket Park, 6170 Ridge Ave., on Feb. 24, from 1 to 4 p.m.
This outdoor winter festival will transform the Pocket Park into a scene from the North Pole, complete with arctic animal ice cutouts and carvings, live music, arctic mini golf, live ice sculpture demonstrations, warming stations, local beer from New Ridge Brewing Co., hot eats and more.
Local businesses will be showcasing their very own commissioned ice sculptures as part of this family friendly event.
There is no admission charge, with food and drink pay as you go. For more information, added events and the day’s schedule, visit https:// roxboroughpa.com/events.
“During this chilly time of year, we like to bring the community together for a wintery blast of fun,” said development corporation Executive Director Jacqueline Cusack. “The Pocket Park will transform into an arctic wonderland, featuring captivating ice sculptures and a plethora of activities, food, and overall magical experience. It is our way of not only bringing people together during the coldest month of the year, but to bring support and foot traffic to Roxborough to support our local businesses. It is fun but its a win-win for our community with a greater purpose. Last year, the turnout for the first year event was amazing and we hope to see many new faces out there for our second outing.” Highlights include:
• Live ice sculpting demonstration
• Arctic themed mini golf
• Arctic animal ice sculpture cut outs for photo ops
• Warming stations
• Live music from local musicians
• Drinks from New Ridge Brewing Co.
• Hot eats from Clean Plate Food
Club food truck
For the main live ice sculpting event, gather around the ice sculpting masters as they turn blocks of ice into arctic masterpieces. Talented sculptors from Ice Sculpture Philly will use chain saws, drills, and ice tools to create two arctic themed ice sculptures. There are two sessions for live ice sculpting: 1:30 and 3:30 p.m.
Other activities to fill out the day include an Arctic Mini Golf — test your mini golf skills with two arctic themed stations — S’Mores Station and a warming station with fresh fires to keep everybody toasty.
On stage: Velvet Snow, 1 to 2:30 p.m., and Skip Winters, 3 to 4:30 p.m.
Velvet Snow is a Philadelphia Band that combines the powerhouse vocals of Amy Winehouse with bluesy guitar influenced by John Mayer and the soulful songwriting of Chris Stapleton to form unique songs that resonate to an audience yearning for music to truly captivate their mind.
Velvet Snow, originally formed in 2023 by singer Erica and guitarist Watts, has played covers and originals in the Philadelphia area, garnering new fans and gaining momentum as they work on their first album. Their first single “The Audacity” will be released later in 2024.
Skip Winters is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist based in Philadelphia. His genre-bending music primarily draws from indie rock, Americana, and reggae, often being characterized as “beach folk.”
He writes, records, performs, and produces all of the project’s music. As a live performer, the one-man band switches between acoustic and electric guitar backed by a kick drum and hi hat, which he simultaneously plays with his feet. Winters also performs as a full band, with various members playing bass guitar, lead guitar and drums.