So said the creators of the Luminary Loppet, when asked how they managed to freeze 1,400 ice luminaries, hang 800 ice lanterns, build the columns of Icecropolis, the slabs of Ice Henge and the cubes of Ice Pyramid and produce an Enchanted Forest in a winter that never really happened.
Everything had to be frozen in the 10-day period of sub-zero temps, then hatched and stored under insulated tarps on the slushy ice of Lake of the Isles while the thermometer soared to 50 degrees under sodden skies.
For the second year in a row the Luminarians had to move the entire magical display of icy ingenuity off the ice and onto the western shore of the lake, something they do with their signature blend of creativity and engineering know-how.
And in the Enchanted Forest, with a little help from their friends, they persevered, whether snagging 3,600 pounds of block ice from the owner of a commercial ice castle or borrowing an employer’s walk-in freezer to create 90 sheet-cake-sized pieces of ice to string into a hanging ice mobile.
Many of these indomitable volunteers go back out the next day to dismantle the installations, destroy any ice that might create a danger, and put the mechanical gear away for another year.
Why they do this is something they’ll have to tell you. But it might have to do with the deep connection of working together to create beauty, and seeing awe on the faces of the more than 10,000 people who are dazzled and uplifted by that beauty. Whatever the reasons, we who participate in it or perambulate around it are lucky ducks indeed.
