What Do Clowns and Ice Sculptors Have In Common?

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. October 14, 2008

FAIRBANKS, AK, February 15, 2007. Two events this March in Fairbanks, Alaska, will bring together clowns and ice sculptors from around the world. Held annually in Fairbanks, the World Ice Art Championships is February 27 to March 25, 2007. The 25th Annual World Clown Association Convention is March 11 to 13, 2007 at the Fairbanks Princess Riverside Lodge. In honor of the clown association convention, ice art organizers chose "Greatest Show in Ice" as this year's theme while the clowns selected "Think Outside the Icebox" as the theme for their annual spring convention.

Spectators and competitors at this year's World Ice Art Championships will enter through an 18-foot clown gate made of ice. The Flint Hills Resources Kids Park, an annual feature with interactive ice sculptures such as slides and mazes for the whole family, will also be clown and circus-inspired. Ice clowns guard the entrance to the ice maze and provide peek-though photo opportunities where visitors may put their head into the ice lion's mouth, ride a clown car or train, lift weights with the circus strong man or glide down large elephant and gorilla slides.

The ice art championships begin February 27 with the Single Block Classic. Next is the Multi-Block Classic on March 4-9. The Lighting and Award Ceremony takes place on March 10 when Alaska Governor Sarah Palin will award the winners.

Known as the Ice Capital of the World, Fairbanks has been the home for the World Ice Art Championships since its inception in 1988. This annual international ice sculpture competition sponsored by the non-profit organization, Ice Alaska, has about 100 sculptors from more than 30 countries participating annually.

The WCA is also sponsoring a clowning event open to the public, "To Laugh is to Live" Family Theater Show featuring Kenny Ahern, scheduled for Wednesday, March 14 at 8:00 pm at the Hering Auditorium. Ahern has performed for over twenty years delighting family audiences worldwide, bringing a captivating theatrical style filled with skillful circus artistry, hilarious physical comedy and witty audience interplay. His performance credits include the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus, Brooks & Dunn Neon Circus and Wild West Show, and international shows across Japan, Russia, China, Taiwan and Singapore.

The clowns are planning to attend the Ice Alaska festivities, as well as participate in a number of other winter activities in Alaska's Interior. Convention-goers will have a chance to try ice fishing, fly across the Arctic Circle or visit Santa Claus at the North Pole during their free time in Fairbanks. The fully-loaded convention schedule includes courses such as "Bubble Class," where participants learn to blow extremely large bubbles, and "The Joys of Blessing Those in Nursing Homes" to learn the do's and don'ts of nursing home clowning.

The seven-day WCA conference is expecting 100-150 participants from around the world, including clowns from England, Greece, Monaco, Nicaragua and Puerto Rico.

To learn more about the World Ice Art Championships and WCA convention or for more information on Fairbanks, request a free copy of the Fairbanks Visitors Guide and Winter Guide from the Fairbanks Convention and Visitors Bureau at 1-800-327-5774 or (907) 456-5774 or by writing to 550 First Avenue, Fairbanks, Alaska 99701. Or order the guide online at www.explorefairbanks.com.