Frankenmuth, Mich. — The 33rd annual Zehnder’s Snowfest is set for a big return to Frankenmuth, Mich. from Jan. 24 through Jan 28, 2024. It will feature more than 110 ice sculptures and more than 75 snow sculptures. In addition, there will be live entertainment, a petting zoo, a fireworks show and more!
I spoke one-on-one with John Shelton, vice president of sales and marketing at Zehnder’s via Zoom. Here’s our discussion below:
Please give me some highlights of the 2024 Zehnder’s Snowfest.
“We kick off Zehnder’s Snowfest on Wednesday, Jan. 24 with our All Things Chocolate baking contest which is very popular. It is being sponsored by Michigan Sugar. We appreciate everything that they do for that event. We have some of the best snow and ice carvers throughout the country who participate in the event. We have bands, fireworks, a petting zoo, all types of entertainment for the young and old alike.”
How would you say this year’s Snowfest will be similar or different from last year?
“It’s a lot different this year because we actually have snow. Last year, it never really got cold. Typically, historically, we make the snow and put it in our parking lot. It never got cold enough so we had snow trucked in from Northern Michigan. We did get enough to hold our snow sculpting events. We’re only hours away from a major snow storm this weekend and really cold temperatures. We’re going to have plenty of snow. We don’t have to eliminate any of the programming that we did last year.”
About how many snow and ice sculptures will be on display for 2024?
“We’ll have 115 ice carvings throughout town and we’ll have about 80 snow blocks on display. They all vary in size. We have our World Class Single and Double Block Competition. They’ll actually start arriving on Monday, Jan. 22. Those are more exhibition type pieces. We have a team from France this year. We’ll kick off our State Competition on Wednesday evening with 20 teams. Then, our High School Competition on that Thursday morning. We have 19 area high schools. Throughout the week, we also do a children’s event with 300-400 elementary school kids. We teach them the art form of snow carving. On Friday and Saturday is our NICA Alumni Ice Carving Challenge. These are people who participated in NICA ice carving competitions. We have eight people in that event. They will carve single blocks and then we’ll team them up for double blocks on Saturday. We also do a multi-block of an ice carving, about 90 blocks this year, that Greg Butauski and his team from Cleveland are doing. It’s an ‘Under the Water’ sea theme for 2024. It’s a wonderful interactive exhibition piece.”
Can you talk about the ice rink that I heard was really popular last year?
“The Frankenmuth Ice Rink is very popular. The first two years we had about 18,000 people throughout the season. The season is from Thanksgiving to February. Snowfest is a great opportunity for people to see and enjoy the ice rink.”
Please tell me about the warming tent and the live entertainment for this year.
“It’s the ever popular warming tent Jason. That’s where we have a lot of our Snowfest exhibit sponsor booths. That’s where we have our magic shows, our live entertainment. Friday is country night. Hatchwing Rider is the name of the band playing Friday night. Saturday we have three different bands performing. We have Stone Street Revival during the day and we have the ever popular U.S. 338th Army Band. We have one of the most enjoyable events, a patriotic concert, which will start at 10 a.m. on Saturday morning. They have a country band that will be performing on Friday. It’s very popular with our Snowfest participants and our attendees. We just encourage people to come out. Saturday is kind of like the peak day because that’s when we have our fireworks show, which is approximately 6:45 p.m. We anticipate about 100,000 people for the whole event coming through Frankenmuth and visiting.”
A fireworks show doesn’t happen very often in the wintertime.
“Some people have come up to me and say, it’s the best fireworks show I’ve ever seen. Here’s what’s so positive about seeing fireworks in the wintertime: First and foremost, it starts at 6:45 p.m. Mom and dad who have kids don’t have to keep their kids up until 10 o’clock at night just to see the show. Secondly, when you have any type of snow…when it bursts into the sky like that, you see the reflection on the snow and the banks and it’s really kind of pretty. That’s what’s unique about it. The fact that you normally don’t get to see this in the wintertime.”
How long will the snow and ice sculptures remain on display for viewing?
“Historically, it all depends on the weather. We’ve got cold weather coming to make the snow. But if we had temperatures in the teens and 20’s, we’ve had the snow and ice carvings last for up to 10-14 days after the event. The warmer it is, the quicker they are going to deteriorate. We’ve had some of the snow blocks crumble within hours of us judging. If we have temps in the 40’s, they are going to deteriorate within 72 hours of the conclusion of the event. If you have typical temperatures below freezing, they can last between 7 days and 14 days after the event.”
You’re expecting a very large crowd so where is the best place to park and take a shuttle?
“Parking is always a challenge so we always encourage people to come early. We do provide shuttle service from Bronner’s parking lot, which is just seven-tenths of a mile south of Zehnder’s. People will park and then we shuttle you more closer to downtown. There’s our golf course, The Fortress, where people have parking as well. Then, we also have shuttle from the residential areas. If you want something downtown, you need to get here by 11 a.m. on Saturday. This is our 33rd year so the old saying is ‘build it and they will come.’ We’ve been very blessed that they’ve been coming.”
Any other comments before we wrap up?
“We just encourage people to come on out and enjoy the festivities. We look forward to having every one. We think it’s going to be another successful event. You can’t go wrong with an all-you-can-eat, family style chicken dinner here at Zehnder’s.”
>> View the complete schedule of events for the 2024 Zehnder’s Snowfest (PDF)
Zehnder’s Snowfest offers free admission for everyone with some paid activities. For more info about the 2024 Zehnder’s Snowfest, visit: https://www.zehnders.com/snowfest/