Dowagiac hosts 28th annual Ice Time Festival

Published 1:55 pm Monday, February 3, 2025

By Max Harden

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DOWAGIAC — Hundreds of visitors descended on downtown Dowagiac for its 28th annual Ice Time Festival on Saturday.

In addition to an extra-large ice sculpture being carved this year by the Ice Gurus, outside events include the Sled Dog Meet and Greet and Timber Carving demonstration and the annual Frozen Fish Toss Open Competition delighted visitors. Children were able to follow the Penguin Path Scavenger Hunt by seeking out hidden penguins at participating retailers. 

The Dowagiac Library will be provided craft, cocoa and cider and the Dowagiac Area History Museum hosted Miss Dowagiac 2025 Amelia Bakeman and her court, who crafted Valentine’s with children.  

Several businesses competed in the annual Chili Crawl where guests tasted restaurant samples for free and voted for their favorite offering. Caruso’s Candy & Soda Shop hosted its annual Ice Cream Eating Contest. Event-goers taking in the sculptures were able to shop to their heart’s content at many downtown businesses that were open during the festival. The Dowagiac Fire Department hosted a s’mores tent where guests could create the tasty treats using a fire department-supervised fire. 

Rounding out the day’s events was Dowagiac Connected’s Snow Ball held at Dowagiac Middle School.

Corporate underwriters of the Ice Time Festival include Dowagiac Credit Union, Dowsett Chiropractic Health Center, Lyons Industries, Pokagon Band of Potawatomi, Who Knew Consignment and Xfinity.

Event sponsors are Ascension Borgess Lee Hospital, Baker’s Rhapsody, Dowagiac Area History Museum, Hale’s Hardware, Lake Effect HVAC Co, and Twisted Bee.

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