Tag Archives: Rock On Ice

Company, Ice Sculptures

5 creative ways to display an ice sculpture at your event

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Are you are making plans for your next event—wedding, corporate function, or holiday party? Do you need something different and unique that will wow your guests? Then, ice is the answer!

Ice can be incorporated into many areas of your event. Rock On Ice will work with you and create an ice sculpture personalized for you. This article will showcase 5 creative ice ideas, and will really create a memorable experience for your guests.

1. Shrimp Dispenser
This is such a cool way to hold and dispense shrimp (customize with your own logo.) We can carve just about anything to hold the food you choose, and keep it cold at the same time.  If you are looking for something other than shrimp for the dispenser, then you can put fresh fruit, or individually wrapped favors/candy for your guests.

Ice Sculpture Shrimp Dispenser with Logo

This sculpture was created for Stacy at Milo’s Catering and here is what she said:

“I’ve used Rock On Ice many times for functions both corporate and private. Greg’s work is magnificent, and working with him is always simple and uncomplicated. One family loved the Ohio State Buckeye shrimp dispenser from their daughter’s wedding reception so much that they now order one every year for their Christmas party!”
Stacy Terman; Milo’s Catering

2. Liquor Display
If you are looking for a creative way to display your beverages and need to keep them on ice at the same time,  then this is the perfect solution. We can create a sculpture to match the theme of your event and personalize it with logos, photos, or any wording that you provide for us.  It doesn’t matter if you are serving liquor, soda or bottled water, we can make it special and memorable!

Ice Sculpture Champagne Display

3. Ice Bar
Most events serve drinks and have a bar of some sort.  Why not make their drink service an experience they will remember.  There is nothing more exciting than walking up to an ice bar and feeling the chill of the bar under your glass!  Make your drink feel more like an experience with an ice bar.

Ice Bar with Luge

4. Ice Vase
Display your flower arrangement in a new and exciting way…with ice! We can create a vase made to your specifications. You can incorporate vases on all the guests’ tables, or have just one ice vase as the main feature—so beautiful.

Ice Sculpture Flower Vase

5. Ice Curtain
This is by far our most unique ice display available. Our ice curtain will be sure to draw the attention you want at your event.

Ice Curtain with Cake

“Rock on Ice Rocks! I have known Greg for a LONG time and he does amazing work. But my favorite piece of work he showcased at The Wedding Experience was the wall of Ice. This would look great at any wedding reception behind a head table, behind the cake table, or even behind the place card table.”
Jamie M Rapavy; Columbus Bride & Groom

We have hundreds of ideas on our website – view our galleries at Rock On Ice, or give us a call and we can create a customized ice sculpture—made to your unique specifications.

p.s. don’t forget to follow our blog because we will be giving you more ideas in the future of creative ways to display ice at your next event. 

Competitions, Ice Sculptures

Ice Carving 2014 National Champion Greg Butauski

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Greg Butauski with Gold Medal

Greg Butauski competed in the U.S. National Championships for Ice Carving in Perrysburg, OH, on February 21 & 22,  and was the overall winner of the two day competition, earning the title of 2014 National Champion!

For 23 years, Greg’s dream was to be the National Champion. He has won the World Championships in Fairbanks, Alaska, and has competed in the Olympics (Vancouver and Salt Lake City). The National Championship completes two of three titles he has been working to accomplish in his life. The final achievement will be an
Olympic Gold.

For this competition, ice carvers had to qualify by placing first, second, or third in a NICA sanctioned event.

The weather played a role in this competition, with temperatures above freezing—always a challenge when sculpting ice. Carvers used tents to block out the sun.

The first day of competition, Greg carved a beautiful ice sculpture titled, “Miracle Grow,” which featured a woman sprouting from a flower. This sculpture used 1 block of ice and took 3 hours to complete. Greg won 1st place and a gold medal in the first of the two day competition!

On the second day, carvers had 4 hours and worked with 2 blocks of ice. Greg’s sculpture for the second day of competition was titled, “Big Bad Wolf,” which is the classic story of the wolf and the three little pigs, but this theme had an “under the sea” twist. He placed 2nd in this second round of competition.

With the two day scores combined, Greg earned the title of 2014 National Champion. Check out the image gallery below to view the initial sketches and final drawings of the two pieces, along with the completed ice sculptures.

Competitions, Ice Sculptures

Ice Carving in Green River: “Lured In” wins 1st place

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Ice Sculpture from Green River Competition

Greg Butauski of Rock On Ice, won 1st place and a Gold medal in the Crystal Classic Ice Carving competition in Green River, Wyoming.

The “Lured In” piece featured a bass about to get caught on a lure. This ice sculpture was carved from 2 blocks and was completed in 4 hours.

Greg will compete in the NICA US Nationals February 21-22, his final competition of the season. Check back with us to see the results!

Competitions, Ice Sculptures

Ice Carving in St. Joseph: “Swordfish Hunter” wins a gold medal

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Swordfish Hunter

St. Joseph held their annual Magical Ice Festival on February 7th and 8th in Michigan,  where Rock On Ice’s Greg Butauski and Jeff Petercsak competed in the team competition.

The ice sculpture, “Swordfish Hunter,” scored a gold medal! This sculpture used 8 blocks of ice (more than 1 ton) and took 8 hours to complete. Below are sketches of how it all came together.

Only two more competitions to go – the Green River Crystal Classic in Green River, WY, and the NICA US Nationals in Perrysburg, OH.

Company, Ice Sculptures

Ice Carving classes for your school: 10 Steps to 3D Carving

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Ice Carving Class with students working

Rock On Ice provides many services to our customers, among them is ice carving classes. Our Certified Master Ice Carver & Ice Carving Educator, Greg Butauski, has a credited school program that will teach students the basics of sculpting ice.

Below are some commonly asked questions about Rock On Ice’s ice carving classes. We hope this helps in your decision to add one of these informative classes to your curriculum.

How many students can you accommodate? One class, maximum 40 students.  Up to 80 students per day, split into two classes of 40 is also allowed.

What tools will my school need to supply for this type of class? No tools are needed. We will supply a specialized tool bag for every two students, including: chisels, saws, chippers, (and other hand tools for ice), gloves, and goggles.

Will my school need to supply the ice? No, we will supply all ice needed for the class.

How long is a an ice carving class? 3 hours is typical for one class.

What will be covered in the class? 10 Steps to 3D Carving. Please visit our website page for more information on 3D Carving.

What are the benefits for my students taking this class?  Greg stresses the importance of learning the process of sculpting, as opposed to teaching them how to carve a basket. Your students will walk away with the basic understanding of the different types of ice, safety procedures dealing with ice, handling tools, and of course, sculpting in 3D.  This class also breaks students up into groups, in order to stress teamwork and create a fun environment.

Why should I hire Rock On Ice to teach an ice carving class at my school? Greg Butauski is a Certified Ice Carving Educator, and a Certified Master Ice Carver and has taught classes at many schools including, Columbus State, Columbus Culinary Institute, and Eastland-Fairfield Career & Technical School.  Greg has also traveled all over the country, teaching seminars to other professional and amatuer carvers.  And, he has organized educational symposiums for the National Ice Carving Association (NICA) and the American Culinary Federation.

Please contact us if you have any additional questions about our ice carving classes.

Company, Ice Sculptures

Ice Sculpting a 20 ton display for Zehnder’s Snowfest

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Ice News Desk

Rock On Ice was recently in Frankenmuth, Michigan, for the annual Zehnder’s Snowfest, where we carved a news desk out of ice for the Channel 5 News team.

The ice news desk was created using 20 blocks of ice and was used over two days for their shows. Nothing creates a bigger impact than large functional ice sculptures. It shows up great on TV and has a great WOW factor!

Rock On Ice was also contracted to carve 134 blocks of ice for the event. The massive display was carved over four days and took eight carvers to complete. Imagine carving this massive ice display where the average temperatures ranged from -8 to 10 degrees. This main display was a “Pure Michigan” theme. We carved the Mackinac Bridge, Detroit Tigers logo, Ford Model T car, and then incorporated some Michigan wildlife with a Bear, White Tail deer, elk, owl, heron, ducks, frogs, bass and much more. All things native to the state of Michigan.

We also carved “Kids names in Ice”—this is always a fan favorite interactive activity. Each child was given their very own personalized ice sculpture to take home and enjoy. We carved over 800 kids’ names!

In all, when the entire project was completed, we carved over 20 tons of ice for the public to view!

Let’s give some props to all the ice carvers that helped out with this event—you guys ROCK! Additional artists on this project were: Chad Hartson, Ryan Roth, Maryse Richards, Trent Mason, Titus Arensberg, Jeff Petercsak, and Michael Stoddard.

Competitions, Ice Sculptures

Ice Carving in Bay Harbor: “The Reptilian” earns a Gold Medal

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Ice Sculpture Lizard Man

Greg Butauski, Master Ice Carver, competed in the Ice and Spice Festival in Bay Harbor, MI, on January 17 & 18th and scored a gold medal!

The festival, sanctioned by the National Ice Carving Association, consisted of both professional and amateur competitions.

For the professional competition, Greg carved “The Reptilian”—half man, half lizard warrior—out of 10 blocks of ice. He earned a gold medal with this sculpture. Greg carved a total of 12 hours, over two days, in freezing temperatures!

The next competition Greg will compete in on the winter circuit will be held in St. Joseph, MI. The season wraps up with the big US Nationals competition in Perrysburg, OH. Be sure to check back for the results of all the competitions!

For more ice sculptures, check out Rock On Ice.