Ice Festival

Last weekend brought the annual ice festival in the University City Loop district. The town is called that because most of Washington University is within its borders. The area is named for the old transit loop, where trolleys from the city proper would turn around for the return trip. It's a hip part of town.

It was cold and, as you can see, snowing. There was a good crowd, though. The festival always has someone making ice sculptures. It looks awfully difficult, done freehand with a chainsaw, circular sander, chisel and blow torch. I'll get something posted soon about the sculptor.  

The Kids Are Alright

That's the name of one of those songs that gets stuck in the oil pan of your mind and will never leave, no matter how often you flush the system. It's by The Who, 1965, back in the day when I listened to popular music. (Now I prefer unpopular music. Morton Feldman, anyone?) 

Anyway, the kids hanging out up and down Delmar Boulevard during the ice festival were alright, be they goofy or serious. Note the thrill of the tyke on an ice slide and the glove on the left hand of the yo yo master, the better to do tricks without losing a finger.

Burning Question Of The Day: what will Mrs. C and I do for our annual Stupid Bowl party tonight? As long-time readers know, we dislike American football, a game that destroys the bodies and brains of the players for the amusement of the masses, then throws them out. Perhaps 150,000,000 of us will watch the game tonight, often at big parties. We've been going out to dinner during the event for perhaps 25 years. We're thinking Afghan but haven't made a final decision.
      

We Come In Peace

Space aliens invade the Delmar Loop. How refreshing that they have a sense of the absurd.

Mmmmmm...

I don't have any umbrella pictures so it's back to The Loop Ice Festival of a couple of weeks ago. The tee shirt above is from a new restaurant on Delmar Boulevard. specializing in just what it says. Not advised for calorie counters. The scene below is a strange variation on a dog sled race. A team of four pulls someone lying on a sled with wheels. They tear down the block, go around a pylon and return. The Spiderman wannabes were the best of the day.

Note the "photo enforced" sign in the second picture. By me?

Woman In A Bubble

One of the more bizarre scenes at the Loop Ice Festival. I didn't get the frozen connection, if one was intended. She was walking around with someone in a snowman costume. But what's with the crown, the platinum blond hair and baby blue outfit? Quick, call a professor of semiotics!

Makes you think of Bubble Boy, doesn't it?    
   

The Loop Ice Festival

University City (so-named because it contains part of Washington University) is an old suburb that borders the City of St. Louis proper. The stretch of Delmar Boulevard called The Loop is lined with shops, theaters, restaurants and clubs. It got the name because streetcars from downtown looped around there to make the return trip. It's a fun place.

A recent addition to its calendar is the Ice Festival on a Saturday in January. Calling it a festival is an overstatement. It's more of a gimmick to draw visitors on a cold day. Most of the businesses have an ice sculpture in front with a theme relateing to the establishment. There are a number of photo booths like the one below, some kid events and an ice carving demo. (How do they do that freehand with a chain saw?)

The temperature was well above freezing and everything had started to melt by mid-day. All things must pass. An Arch picture tomorrow and back to this on Friday.