Lake George Winter Carnival to feature a Gothic castle

Lake George may not be frozen yet this winter but there is plenty of ice in the Village – thirty-thousand pounds, to be exact. This is how much ice the Lake George Winter Carnival Committee ordered for this year’s ice castle in Shepard Park.

Local sculptor Glenn Durlacher, of Glenn Sculptures, will create the 50 foot long, 15-foot high structure around the Shepard Park Centennial Fountain. “Glenn does the design and tells us how much he needs,” said Carnival organizer Linda Duffy.  “He’ll do the castle, a few sculptures and maybe an ice slide.” The 100 blocks of ice, weighing 300 pounds each, were delivered on pallets to Shepard Park Monday morning by Clayville Ice Company of Utica.

Durlacher describes his design for the 2012 carnival as Gothic. Elements of his plan include a central tower surmounted by two slender towers, pointed arches and a notched parapet. He will create the castle using a chainsaw and chisels and expects it will take most of this week to complete. This is Durlacher’s third year working with the Carnival Committee on the ice castle project.

Durlacher has been a professional sculptor of both ice and wood for over 30 years. Operating out of his studio in Queensbury, he is known for his wildlife sculptures, stump sculptures and garden art.

Last year’s carnival saw him shoring up his creation with snow when an unusual spell of 50-degree weather hit the region during the carnival’s third week. While the Medieval design of his icy fortress makes it defensible against marauding bands of looters, will it stand up to the 40-degree temperatures forecasted for this week?

Durlacher just shrugged at the question, “These are 300-pound blocks of ice …”

The 51^st Lake George Winter Carnival kicks off this Saturday, February 4, with Opening Ceremonies in Shepard Park at noon. The Winter Carnival continues every weekend throughout February. Events that had been scheduled to take place on the frozen lake have been moved to nearby sites.