With some improvising, Rochester's popular ice event is happening this year
In normal years, this would be the time when Peace Plaza turns into the raucous, jam-packed celebration of cold we know as SocialICE.
Monika Kopet, events director for the Rochester Downtown Alliance, entered her role just in time to oversee SocialICE 2020 — but in the months that followed, it became obvious that a large-scale party wasn’t going to be feasible in early 2021. With no major RDA events on the calendar until the summer, Kopet said canceling SocialICE entirely was never an option.
Instead, she and her team had to improvise — and after months of figuring out what it would look like, SocialICE’s replacement program, aptly titled ImprovICE, is set to kick off this weekend.
“It’s been a really challenging year for me, it’s really tested me, but what kept me going is the thought that we’re doing this for the community, for people that really need something to look forward to,” said Kopet.
Kopet says the RDA had to cancel and tone down some of the event’s classic offerings, accommodating for pandemic-related precautions. Parts of the normal SocialICE offerings will still make an appearance in 2021, although the most well-known parts of the festival — ice bars with specialty drinks, live DJ music, and large crowds — had to be scrapped.
The ice sculptures, however, will return this year, including a new community-designed sculpture, courtesy of Choo-choo-ca-Chew’s Tiffany Alexandria. The traditional “ice curtain” entrance will also be up for the entire week.
At night, Kopet adds, the sculptures will be lit up and music will be pumped in, to mimic as much of the original SocialICE feel as possible. The “TOGETHER” letters that became a visual attraction to drivers on Broadway have also moved to Peace Plaza for the occasion; staffers have been painting people’s faces on the letters that enter RDA’s photo contest.
Instead of being a place to gather and party for a few hours, Kopet hopes the installations will serve as a gallery of sorts, for people to walk through and enjoy as they please.
“There’s not a set amount of time it’ll be open,” said Kopet. “People can walk through whenever they want, and it’s not just open for the weekend either — it’ll be open for a whole week. It’s definitely not going to be the same, but we just wanted to do something for people.”
Nineteen different bars and restaurants have also signed on to the RDA’s “Buy a Meal, Give a Meal” campaign, which will run through the entirety of ImprovICE. Every transaction at a participating restaurant means another meal will be donated to Channel One Food Bank.
The goal, Kopet says, is to raise enough money for Channel One to purchase 20,000 meals — and now that Valentine’s Day purchases will be included in the tally, she’s hoping to be able to donate even more.
“It feels amazing to do this,” said Kopet. “We’re helping people in need and that’s great. I hope this encourages more people to go dine in or get take-out from the participating business and restaurants that are still struggling and haven’t recovered.”
Improvising, Again
The festivities were originally supposed to start on Thursday, but warm temperatures forced the team to delay the sculpting process — and the entire program — back two days.
Kopet said ice sculptors would start working early Thursday, as soon as temperatures dip below freezing. A cold front moving through the area Thursday will likely bring a fresh round of snow, plus the coldest temperatures of the season. Air temperatures are forecast to dip below -20 over the weekend, and likely won’t rise above single digits until late next week.
“That ice won’t be going anywhere the whole week,” Kopet said with a laugh.
The sculptures should be ready by Saturday morning at the latest, and the full program — originally set to end February 11 — will now run through February 14.
Isaac Jahns is a Rochester native and a 2019 graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism. He reports on politics, business and music for Med City Beat.
Cover photo: Kate Klaus / courtesy RDA
