LOUDONVILLE – Downtown Loudonville will become a winter wonderland this weekend, drawing crowds to see ice sculptures, watch carving demonstrations and partake in activities as part of Mohican Winterfest.

Now in its 12th year, Winterfest regularly draws thousands of people from Ashland County and surrounding areas, and even some out-of-state visitors, Loudonville-Mohican Chamber of Commerce executive director Valerie Spreng said. 

“This is a way of just getting people out into the community and into the downtown this time of year, when people tend to stay inside,” Spreng said. 

This year’s festival runs Jan. 12 through 14 and offers plenty of reasons to brave the winter weather and head to Loudonville. 

Over 30 ice sculptures sponsored by local businesses and organizations will line the sidewalks downtown all day Saturday and Sunday. Every hour on the hour from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, visitors can stop by Central Park to take in live carving demonstrations by Aaron Costic and his team from Elegant Ice Creations.

New this year is a snowmobile show. Between noon and 4 p.m. Saturday, a variety of vintage and newer snowmobiles will be on display in the park near the carving demonstrations. 

Though the ice sculptures are the hallmark of the event, many more activities are planned downtown and throughout the Mohican area for the weekend. 

Visitors of all ages will enjoy a model train expo 4 to 8 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday at Hans Event Center on N. Water Street.

The Cleo Redd Fisher Museum and the Workman Cabin in Central Park both will be open for tours noon to 4 p.m. Saturday. 

Families will flock to the Loudonville Public Library to see African penguins at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. or 3 p.m. Free tickets are required and can be picked up at the library’s youth desk. 

Adults age 21 and over can attend the annual Snowball Dance with DJ Rockin’ Al from 7 to 11 p.m. Saturday at the American Legion banquet hall. This year, the dance is free. 

Also new, Ugly Bunny Winery is offering wine and cheese pairing 4 to 9 p.m. Friday and 1 to 9 p.m. Saturday at 16104 Ohio 39. The winery is featuring four wines with four cheeses for $12.

Running simultaneously with Winterfest, Mohican State Park Lodge is hosting an Appalachian Music Festival. All performances are free. The festival kicks off Friday night at 8 p.m. with an open stage event.

On Saturday, several workshops begin between 9 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. and Empty Bottle String Band will perform a free concert at 8 p.m. The festival wraps up with gospel singing at 10:30 a.m. Sunday. 

Also Sunday, Mohican Trails Club will have its 13th annual Mohican Winter Hike starting at 10 a.m. at Mohican State Park. The hike begins at the Mohican State Park commissary, which is located at the park’s Class A campground on Ohio 3 just south of Loudonville.

Three hikes — a 5K, a 10K and an interpretive hike — are planned. After the hike, participants can warm up by a fire with soup, cookies and drinks at the commissary. 

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