Richmond’s 9th annual Meltdown Winter Ice Festival brings together world-famous ice carvers for a weekend of sculptures, music, ice fights, fun, and more!

One of the best parts is that the festival is free and open to the public to enjoy. Also, many of these ice carvers you’ll find at the Richmond Meltdown have won international events.

Ashley Sieb joined us today representing the Meltdown Ice Festival to share more about the exciting event. Here’s more from her:

The festival is held the last week of January. The big dates are Friday, January 27 when many of the sculptures will be ready at Jack Elstro Plaza in downtown Friday.

On Saturday, January 28 – we have the live ice fights where cravers perform live on stage! Overall, we will have more than 50 sculptures at the event! Everything from baby Yoda to a Game of Thrones chair to your favorite Disney movie characters! The ice sculptures will remain on display until they melt.

This year, we are thrilled to have a female ice carver sponsored by the Women’s Fund, which is awesome because this is usually a male-dominated industry! In addition, we have Melty the Moose joining us all the way from Alaska. He will be spending the week with us and exploring all of the local events and the live ice fight in Elstro Plaza.

We couldn’t put on this incredible event for our community without our sponsors. This year, we have more than 53 sponsors! 3Rivers is our presenting sponsor and we’d also thank to thank Reid Health, the City of Richmond, UEA, and First Bank Richmond. All of our sponsors are noted on our website. We also couldn’t pull this event off without our volunteers and committee members who support this event! 

Be sure to sign-up for the Meltdown Frozen Fun Pass which is your mobile guide for exclusive savings, freebies, and opportunities to win some cool prizes.

Sign up for the Frozen Fun Pass on VisitRichmond.org.

For more information visit, richmondmeltdown.com.

THIS SEGMENT IS SPONSORED BY VISIT RICHMOND.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — It’s a tradition to go out with a loud bang on July 4, but not everyone is accustomed to continued fireworks once the big night is over.

“In the neighborhood, (there are) a couple fireworks that go off several times in the evening that are very large, and they almost sound like an artillery piece going off, and they do sort of rattle the windows,” said Carmel resident Kevin Patterson.

“I’m at the end of the cul-de-sac, but, by golly, we got neighbors out there that are setting off these things that are like motor shells,” she said. “They shake and rattle the windows and that’s crazy, and it’s all hours of the night,” said Indianapolis resident Cathy Demooyer.

Indiana law allows fireworks to go off from June 29 to July 9. It’s been in place for sometime now, but not everyone is in favor of it.

“When it’s random for people like me and people who have also served, we don’t know and it scares us, so we’re leaping for cover. We’re like, ‘Is that a gunshot? Is that a bomb? Is that an explosion? What do I need to do next to be safe?’” Demooyer said.

When people can put off fireworks depends on where they live. State law does not allow fireworks to go off in the middle of a street or an apartment complex. It’s also advised to ask for permission if your home is part of a homeowners association.

Carmel police said they’ve gotten at least seven calls of noise complaints since the Fourth of July and recommend people showing common courtesy to their neighbors if choose to use fireworks.

“Maybe a child that has noise issues and you want to make sure that you’re cognizant of your neighbors and find out if maybe they do have that problem, try to move them outside that area,” said Tim Griffin, firefighter with the Carmel Fire Department.

CARMEL, Ind. (WISH) – Celebrating the 4th of July usually means one thing across the country: Fireworks.

The Carmel Fire Department wants to make sure people have fun, but are also aware of the dangers fireworks can bring so, they are offering a few tips for local residents.

More than 10,000 people are hurt each year in firework accidents.

Three fireworks that are considered the most dangerous are bottle rockets, firecrackers and sparklers.

Approximately 18,500 fires occur every year and Tim Griffin, with the Carmel Fire Department, believes it’s because a lot of times people underestimate what fireworks are capable of.

For example, sparklers can burn at 1,200 degrees or more.

“Something that hot can burn right through your skin,” Griffin said.

Griffin says you want to make sure and keep products like these out of the hands of children.

He says they would prefer if people go to firework shows, but if you buy your own, just make sure you follow all the safety directions.

It could make the difference between a good time on the 4th of July or a tragic accident.

“We don’t want something like that to ruin the holiday for you and your family,” Griffin said.

For more on firework safety here’s some information from the National Fire Protection Association