PREVIEW
Deep Freeze: A Byzantine Winter Festival
Jan. 13 and 14
Between 90 and 95 St. on 118 Ave.
Admission: Free, donations gratefully accepted
With the roller coaster frigid temperatures we've experienced lately, it's tempting to close the door and hibernate for the winter. Although the season can be a punishing, the 11th annual Deep Freeze Byzantine Winter Festival provides plenty of incentive to get out and have fun.
From ice sculptures and professional snow carving to live entertainment, winter sports, pig roasts and fireworks, the two-day festival takes place Jan. 13 and 14. Edmonton's Alberta Avenue celebration, held between 90 and 95 St. on 118 Ave., embraces winter weather and offers people a way to enjoy the snow and chilliest temperatures.
A project of Arts on the Ave, it was initially developed to bring the ethnically diverse 118th Ave. community together and celebrate its artistry, culture and traditions. The festival showcases a mosaic of Ukrainian, Francophone, Indigenous and African-Canadian cultures.
Through the driving spirit of founding artistic director Christy Morin, the Arts on the Ave festival organizing committee is composed of visual artists, singers, dancers, literary and film artists, and photographers and musicians who collaborate to tell the story of this community.
And let's not forget the piping hot traditional ethnic dishes that heartily warm both the body and spirit – servings of pig roasted on a spit, tourtière, pea soup and sugar pie as well as pyrohy, cabbage rolls, kubasa and poppy seed rolls.
The festival launched with several hundred visitors. In 2016 the Edmonton Police completed a grid count and estimated 45,000 people attended. Deep Freeze's massive success is largely due to its dedicated production team that includes two major St. Albert visual artists – festival producer Allison Argy-Burgess and ice carver Barry Collier.
This year's theme is "Into the Winter Grove" reflecting woodland images in ice carvings, snow sculptures and the snow-ice playground.
Returning this year are street clowns, the National Stiltwalkers and The Trollsons (a magic and comedic family of trolls). In addition, a medieval knights, warriors and maidens camp as well as Odin's Ravens Viking Encampment reappear to transport visitors back in time.
One new feature this year is the Prairie Homestead located in Alberta Avenue Community Hall. More than 10 crafters and tradesmen such as woodworkers, spinners, weavers and a blacksmith create masterpieces in the tradition of original settlers.
"It's based on the history of the neighbourhood. The French arrived first in 1890 followed by the Ukrainians and of course, the Cree and Métis have always been here," said Allison Argy-Burgess.
Two of the featured crafters are upcycle artist Naomi Pahl, who won the festival's lamp post competition two years in a row, and blacksmith Tim Moreland.
"Naomi loves traditional things and has a pioneer style garden. She cans everything, and she'll be running jam and preserve demos throughout the weekend showing how pioneers made it through the winter," Argy-Burgess said.
In addition, Argy-Burgess describes Moreland as a "Renaissance Man," a man of many skills who is a college teacher, carpenter and runs a greenhouse.
"He's created a mobile blacksmith unit with a forge. He gets a fire going and demonstrates blacksmithing. He'll have examples of things homesteaders and pioneers needed on a day-to-day basis – horseshoes, chisels, hammers."
Another new event this year is a short documentary film titled Champions of Alberta filmed by Moving Artistry Production. The company is headed by St. Albert Children's Theatre alumnus Justin Brunelle. The 12-minute documentary focuses on 11 businesses created by immigrant families in the area.
"We realized there were champions living in the community, but not necessarily athletes. There are people who came from other countries without the knowledge of a language and with few resources and opened a business."
The business owners immigrated from Laos, Portugal, Jamaica and Vietnam and overcame great hardships to operate thriving businesses that in some cases are now run by the second generation. The film will be screened at the New Moon Pavilion on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. just prior to the family-friendly showing of Monsters Inc.
Morin also enlisted the talents of Russian designer and puppet maker Michael Kurs who makes his inaugural debut transforming everyday lamp posts into incredible, fantastical woodland creatures based on old French fairy tales.
"He's going to make nine animals out of umbrellas and they'll be installed on three lamp posts. I think there's a cougar, a bison, a deer. I can't wait to see them," said Argy-Burgess.
In past years, visitors were treated to feats of strength, cunning and speed during log sawing competitions as well as knife and axe throws. This year the Hercules Hoist is added to the menu.
"A log hangs vertically on a pulley system and people can try it out. It's basically a test of strength. It will be a fun thing for people to try and watch."
Ice sculptor Barry Collier has once again taken charge of Tom Fool's Ice & Snow Kingdom carving out a 40-foot fantasy slide, an ice throne, animal art and an ice bar in the beer gardens.
Another attraction Collier is carving is a seven-foot Chinese ice fairy, a commission from Kweichow Moutai Co., a state-owned enterprise in China that specializes in producing and selling Maotai, a liquor distilled from fermented sorghum.
"She'll (fairy) be dressed in flowing robes and there will be etchings inside the ice," said Argy-Burgess, adding that visitors will be able to taste a shot glass with 10 millimetres of the clear liquid ambrosia.
A huge two-day kitchen party, the Deep Freeze festival is packed with so much entertainment, workshops, demonstrations, exhibits and recreational activities, it is impossible to include every activity. However, a complete list and description is available at http://www.deepfreezefest.ca.
Although the festival is free to the public, the budget is about $480,000. It is supported through private donors, corporate donations, the Edmonton Arts Council, the Alberta Foundation for the Arts and Canadian Heritage. Anyone wishing to support the festival can make a donation at the festival's information booths, and a tax receipt will be issued on the spot.
In closing, Argy-Burgess notes, "This festival has 140 musicians and and many more dancers. Everything is free except when you buy food. It's like a winter folk festival except there's no gate. Our focus is giving arts to the community. Anybody who wants to walk out on a snowy day and listen to the best musicians around can come. Everybody has access to it – young and old, rich and poor. It's pretty amazing."
