What started as a discussion ”“ with a bit of hope injected ”“ has turned into a success story for Rockland tourism.
Newly transplanted Rockland resident Tim Englert, who worked as development director for the Palisades Interstate Park Commission, fell in love with Rockland Lake and wanted to put it on the map. He could not have found a more eager participant in that venture than ice sculptor and Rockland Lake history buff Rob Patalano.
With the support of Rockland Business Association members and the Palisades Interstate Park Commission, the Knickerbocker Ice Festival is a dream come true for founders Englert and Patalano and has become a major winter tourism destination for the Hudson Valley region.
“Rob”™s amazing dedication to his craft and to the festival is amazing,” Englert said. “He doesn”™t participate in the sculpting contest, but has his own niche down by the last ice house standing here at the lake, which was once a major ice supplier for the tristate area.”
This year”™s weekend event, held Jan. 29-30, attracted nearly 26,000 people ”“ a far cry from the 100 or so who showed up five years ago.
“Unless you like winter sports, there is really not a lot of outdoor events in the winter in the region, despite how beautiful it is,” Englert said. “This festival is an opportunity to enjoy the season, learn about the lake”™s history and what it meant for industry, see the sculptors at work and visit with Artists In The Park, who have a tent set up each year. We are getting more requests from businesses and artisans who want to participate. We are hoping to get the National Ice Carving Association to consider this location for one of their yearly competitions.”
From igloos to the giant bonfire in the center of the lake, the festival offered something for everyone to enjoy.
“We are hoping more winter events grow as a result, including a winter movie festival,” Englert said. “The Hudson Valley is full of beauty and history, but for many, winter can be very isolating. This is a great opportunity to get out, shed some cabin fever and enjoy the region”™s beauty. The vendors have been enjoying a record turnout and we”™re seeing some much-needed tourism dollars come into the region.”
It was a fantastic event and the fact that it has grown so much in so little time is a real tribute to Tim Englert and his dedication.
what great weather and great food there was at the ice festival! maria rodd and rosemarie monaco did a great job putting this shindig together….it just gets better and better every year!
It was my 3rd year as a food vendor at the Ice Festival and it keeps on getting bigger and bigger, lots of folks come also from the CITY, CT and Westchester. Will do it again next year.
I saw Victorio Loubriel filming and photographing, where’s his famous work??? Afterall, all the videos on youtube are his…
Never heard of him. What else has he done?
We were so impressed by this spectacular event, We came up all the way from Virginia—(knew the area–once lived in Westchester Co. N>Y>)_Met Mr. Englert and was taken by his knowledge of the festival beginnings/history of the ice business/and plans for the future. Seems to be a breath of fresh “cold” air and lucky for Rockland County-Hudson Valley to have him. Are looking forward to next year and some of the events he told us he was planning. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!!!
I cajoled my friend and his son to come up with me and my son to the Ice Festival all the way from NYC. Both of us hailed from Rockland County. We spent a few hours outside, fascinated by the ice sculptors as they quickly sculpted to avoid the warming rays of the son. Watching the loonies building real igloos–when one of the builders stuck his head out the top it was straight out of Monty Python! The boys enjoyed playing in the snow and picking up giant unused pieces of ice “donated” by the artists–and then breaking them. We all learned a bit more about the history of the ice industry and of Rockland County, which helped to cement our connection to our “roots.” And of course grand-ice-daddy Rob Patalano was a gentle giant among ice carvers. We all marvelled as he put the finishing touches on his impressive creation, sanding it smooth and then watering to create the optimal optical brilliance! It was a prismatic masterpiece. And he told me how he came up with the theme for his sculpture, about Nature. I forget exactly what… And much thanks to Tim for helping to make this happen and get off the ground! I thought the turnout was good and many people enjoyed themselves. It was simple but very effective! We will definitely come back in the future if our schedules allow!!!!
Thank you for coming to the festival. Joe, it was lovely to see you again, I’m really glad we saw each other. You pretty much summed up my whole experience with growing this gathering – a combination of spectacle, play, artistic study, historical survey, and as much warmth as we can muster on cold days. We were unbelievably lucky to have had such good weather. We dodged major storms on either side that would no doubt have sunk the festival for at least a year. Having sponsored and helped to build one of those igloos, I concur with your cinematic comparison. We had ice windows made from the sculptors’ waste. We also tested and were thrilled with the success of the Sweedish candles (which we’ve sort of changed up to be called “Knickerbocker Candles”), large wooden torches that burned on the frozen lake for hours, providing large flame and needing no attending. Those will be back in force next year, for sure, and thank you to the Sweedish army for inventing a combination of vertical radiator, cook stove, and fireworks display out of a single log.
We shall see what next year brings. For now I’m glad to see the snow melting and temperatures rising. Shortly I’ll be itching again to run my hand across a cold block of ice. Rob and I will be leaving a final reminder of 2011 as soon as the trees start to wake up again. Perhaps you and your friends might like to join The Loyal Order of Ice Harvesters on Facebook? Its a way you can get involved in some of these activities, and burn a few calories when we need it most…
A special thanks to those of you who helped out. It would never have grown like this without a lot of selflessness and community spirit. We are very lucky to have such generosity here in the Hudson Valley. I suspect we’re not alone in this observation.
Tim Englert