Perrysburg, Bowling Green celebrate winter

Wally Abke, 4, eats a s'more in front of his sister, Millie, 1, during Perrysburg's Winterfest.

The Blade/Jetta Fraser
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Violet Benge of Perrysburg ran a few feet in a snow-covered parking lot, fell belly-down, and slid another few feet.

“That was a snow dive,” the 9-year-old Toth Elementary School third grader said, getting up while brushing snow off her face. “I was just enjoying it.”

Wally Abke, 4, eats a s'more in front of his sister, Millie, 1, during Perrysburg's Winterfest.

The girl said she was killing time waiting for s’mores to be dished out at a nearby fire pit as Winterfest was getting going in downtown Perrysburg late Friday afternoon.

She was one of scores of people who milled around ice sculptures as they waited for tents with attractions to open to public.

Set up on snow-lined Louisiana and Second streets, the tents housed live music, steel welding, craft stations, floor curling by the Black Swamp Curling Center from Bowling Green, and a fashion show staged by downtown Perrysburg merchants. There was plenty of snow after a snowstorm hit the greater Toledo area Friday morning.

Violet did not wait long.

Minutes later, the s’mores arrived, donated and delivered by Trisha Jambor, 37, also of Perrysburg, a Downtown Perrysburg Inc. board member who co-owns Maddie and Bella Coffee Roasters on Louisiana. 

Emery Hudson, 6, left, answers her mother, Meg Hudson, who asks her to identify an ice-sculpted bird at Perrysburg Winterfest. in the carriage are Hadley, 4, and Quinn, 2.

Hosted by Downtown Perrysburg Inc., the eighth Winterfest, which continues Saturday, boasts an expanded program, beyond its traditional annual ice carving events.

“We live here [in Perrysburg], and I volunteer to make it a great place to live,” Ms. Jambor said. “And I like volunteering because it’s a lot of fun.”

She spoke over the sounds of hooves on the wet pavement as a trolley pulled by, driven by two horses. It carried a dozen revelers along Louisiana, past the ice sculptures exhibited there.  

Amber Bassett, 17, a Penta Career Center sophomore from Rossford, and her friend, Maryann Ratajczak, 15, a Bowsher High School sophomore from Toledo, stood behind a bald-eagle ice sculpture that also featured an a ice-carved national flag. With their arms spread, they posed for Sanya Ratajczak, Maryann’s mother, who photographed them with a cellphone.

“It will go on Facebook, Instagram, everywhere,” Maryann said.

Said Ms. Ratajczak, a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Panama, “The eagle caught our attention because of the flag. It is our flag. We are proud of it.”

Along with the fire pits with s’mores stations, ice demonstrations, and the tents, there were also games at the Perry’s Landing grass area and a Winter Olympics broadcast by Buckeye Broadband.

Perrysburg Winterfest continues Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. with free admission. The Perrysburg Rock the Blocks benefit from 7-10 p.m. Saturday costs $49 to enter.

Additionally, Winterfest BG Chillabration will continue all day Saturday through Sunday in Bowling Green. The event features an ice garden and mascot carving demos of Bowling Green State University’s Frieda and Freddie Falcon as part of the 10th annual Winterfest.

PHOTO GALLERY: Winterfest BG Chillabration

Wendy Chambers, chairman of the BG Chillabration and director of the Bowling Green Convention & Visitors Center, said the Bowling Green event would go on, regardless of the weather.

Bowling Green did not get as much snow as Toledo did Friday, and there were warming tents for those who needed a break from the chilly weather. She said she hopes people come to the festival and embrace the weather.

"It's a winter festival, not a summer festival," she said.

Blade Staff Writer Sara Elms contributed to this report.

Contact Mike Sigov at sigov@theblade.com, 419-724-6089, or on Twitter @mikesigovblade.