Warm weather again pushes back Ice Castles' opening date

LAKE GEORGE | Unseasonably warm weather has again delayed the opening of Ice Castles Lake George — this time until Feb. 3 — but the public will have an opportunity this next weekend to experience one aspect of the frozen attraction now under construction. The frosty kingdom's "Mystic Light Walk" and "Polar Pub" — both new this year — will be open for a special public preview Friday, Jan. 27, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturday, Jan. 28, from 4 p.m. at no charge, Ice Castles East Coast Operations Manager Brad Buehlhorn said Jan 21. Food, beverages, and adult drinks, prepared by the staff of Ten McGillis Public House of Lake George, are to be available for purchase at the Polar Pub. Last year was Ice Castles' debut in Lake George. Although it was scheduled to open the first week in January 2022, warm weather delayed its opening until Jan. 23. This year's weather, far warmer than in many prior winters, had already delayed the opening date from early January to Jan. 27. In recent days, continuing warm weather prompted an additional delay — until at least the first week in February, Lake George Ice Castles Event Manager Roger Allen said Jan. 21. "The warm weather has been unprecedented, to say the least," he said, noting the target date for the opening might change a third time. A recent visit to the Ice Castles site on the Festival Commons off Elizabeth Little Boulevard in Lake George revealed that the castle walls had gained a foot or two in height from 10 days earlier. As of Jan 19, the walls — primarily stalagmites from three to six feet high — were far different than last January when the attraction had solid, towering walls and caverns composed of 25 million pounds of ice. However, Allen said that long-range weather forecasts looked favorable for sub-freezing temperatures necessary for castle construction. Buehlhorn has said that when the frigid weather finally arrives, the Ice Castles enterprise will be bringing experienced ice crafters to Lake George to ramp up the construction process. But according to the National Weather Service forecasts, temperatures in Lake George for the last week in January are expected to rise above freezing during daytimes, then fall below freezing at night. As of Jan. 21, the warmest days — with temperatures up to 38 degrees — were expected to occur Jan. 23, 24, 26 and 28. "Weather is weather, and it's too soon to speculate what will happen," Allen said about the Castles' construction. CONTROVERSY OVER "LOCALS' DAYS" Allen and Ice Castles spokesperson Melissa Smuzinski said Jan. 21 that "Locals' Days," or admission for $5 on specified days, were restricted this year to residents of Lake George town and village, unlike last year when all Warren County residents were eligible. "Last year, we opened it to all of Warren County as an introduction for residents to our attraction, but, as with our other locations, this season our Locals' Days In New York will be limited to those who are most impacted by the influx of visitors and traffic," Smuzinski said Jan. 21 in a text message. This new policy has irked some Warren County officials. At the Jan. 20 county supervisors meeting, Queensbury at-large supervisors Rachel Seeber and Brad Magowan as well as Glens Falls Ward 3 supervisor Claudia Braymer expressed concern that only Lake George residents were eligible for Locals' Days. Braymer said the Ice Castles attraction was a county government-supported project and the Ice Castles corporation has been receiving $50,000 per year in county occupancy tax money to underwrite promotional costs. Responding to their concerns, new county Administrator John Taflan said Jan. 20 that county-wide Locals' Days were still under negotiation, and he predicted that Mondays in February would each be designated to host residents of specified Warren County towns and the city of Glens Falls. However, Buehlhorn confirmed Jan. 22 that only Lake George town and village residents would be eligible for Locals' Days, noting they indeed would be held on Mondays during February, except on holidays and during the week of school break. Magowan and Seeber also raised questions about the Polar Pub — Seeber questioning whether it would be swamped with people, while Magowan was wary of the potential legal liability it might pose for the county.

Signup for our newsletter

Warm weather again pushes back Ice Castles' opening date

COMPANY

CUSTOMER SUPPORT

SUBMISSION FORMS

BEYOND THE NEWS