Downtown Ligonier embraces the icy blast of the 29th annual Ligonier Ice Fest this weekend. The sponsoring Ligonier Valley Chamber of Commerce is taking the occasion to launch its first Ligonier Valley Restaurant Tour.
Participants will get a passport guiding them to at least 17 participating restaurants. Two of them, Carol and Dave’s Roadhouse and Abigail’s Coffeehouse, will be selling the passports, as will the chamber office, for $5 each. Holders can take their passports to new-to-them restaurants and old favorites and along the way, get discounts and perks such as a free wine tasting, appetizers and desserts. The promotion lasts until April 30. Participants who turn in their completed passports to the chamber by May 1 will be entered to win a $200 Ligonier Experience gift basket.
Meanwhile, all visitors are invited to pause for a bite and/or sip, for some shopping or even for an overnight stay during the Ice Fest. The event brings ice sculptors and their works of art to the Diamond and adjacent streets, transforming the town into “a sparkling, icy wonderland.” The carvers, working for DiMartino Ice Co. from nearby Jeannette, will fire up their chainsaws at 10 a.m. on Saturday and noon on Sunday. At 2 p.m. Sunday, four carvers will compete in the crowd-favorite Speed Carving Contest, and festival-goers get to vote on which of their creations is the best.
Also on Saturday, from 11 a.m. until they sell out, is the Firemen’s Famous Spaghetti Dinner hosted by the Ligonier Volunteer Hose Co. No. 1 in the Town Hall community room. At 2 p.m. there’s a free concert by Big Fat Jazz in Town Hall auditorium.
At 12:30 p.m. on Sunday in the auditorium, there’s a free concert by Candle in the Wind.
From noon to 3 p.m. both days, if the weather is willing, there will be horse-drawn sleigh rides by Misty Haven Carriage. And you can purchase some Hanson’s Original Kettle Korn, in addition to lots of other good stuff.
Other eateries participating on the restaurant tour include Connections Cafe, Fat Daddy’s Place, Foggy Mountain Lodge & Restaurant, Green Gables Restaurant, Hansley’s Pub & Grille, The Kitchen On Main, Ligonier Tavern and Table, Main Street Wine Bar, Myriam's Table, Tasty Trek (a food walking tour), The Cafe at Oak Lodge, Sharky’s Cafe, The Eastwood Inn, The Pier and The Wicked Googly.
The ice sculptures are illuminated at night, which is a pretty and quiet time to view them.
For more, visit www.ligonier.com.
Bob Batz Jr.: bbatz@post-gazette.com, 412-263-1930 and on Twitter @bobbatzjr.
First Published: January 22, 2020, 12:15 p.m.
