The competitors were cold but the competition was hot this Sunday at Tuscany Grill’s Fifth Annual Ice Carving and Chowder Competition. Teams of ice carvers began hacking, chipping, sawing, shaving and even ironing blocks of ice at noon, working until 4:30 p.m.
The theme of the competition was “Disney In Ice.” Sculptures ranged from the Lion King’s Timon and Pumbaa to a large head of Mickey Mouse and a full-size figure of Buzz Lightyear. Each sculpture was given a special name by its creators, such as “Rescuers Down Under” and “Chicken Little Blasts Off.”
“I think [the winner] will be Timon and Pumbaa,” said Mariah Rose Lastrina, who family runs Tuscany Grill. “It shows a lot of hard work.”
In the end, first place went to Gary Costa’s “Chicken Little Blasts Off.” Bill Bywater’s sculpture of Timon and Pumbaa received second place and Larry Sirgusa’s “The Rescuers Down Under” came third.
Along with the ice carving, the competition’s organizers held a chowder competition, an element that they introduced last year. Six types of chowder were prepared and, as in the ice carving competition, the winner was decided by votes from spectators. This year’s chowder winners were (in order): the New England Clam Chowder, the Cajun Crawfish and Corn, and the Rhode Island Clam Chowder, all by Tuscany Grill.
The competition was held in the Middlesex Plaza Square, between Brew Bakers and Tuscany Grill. The winners were competing for more than $800 in cash and prizes in the two-block, four-hour competition. While spectators waited for the artists to complete their sculptures, other activities were organized for the younger members of the audience. Joe Lastrina, the organizer of the competition and co-owner of Brew Bakers and Tuscany Grill, said that they had added new activities such as face-painting in Brew Bakers to make parents feel more comfortable.
“Some of the parents may not want the kids to hang around a bar [in Tuscany Grill] so we had face-painting,” Lastrina said. “The children are welcome, though.”
As soon as the sculptors were finished on Sunday, a box was brought out and placed on a table at the entrance of Tuscany Grill, along with pens and slips of paper on which the audience were to cast their votes. The process involved groups of children making several loops around each sculpture with their parents and carefully weighing the merits of one against the other.
The weather was ideal for ice sculpting, cold enough for the ice to remain frozen while also dry, so that the sculptors were able to work without the added burden of falling snow. The competition’s organizers also made an effort to counter the cold weather with free hot chocolate offered to spectators at the sculpting grounds.
Tuscany Grill’s notice board was filled with photographs from previous ice competitions, such as last year’s Looney Tunes-themed competition, and 2003’s Wizard of Oz-inspired contest.
This year’s Disney sculptures will be left up until they melt.
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