The town of Lititz is known for a festival that is normally held in mid-February, but Holly DeKarske, executive director of Venture Lititz, wants to make it clear that the event that will happen in downtown Lititz from Friday, Feb. 12, through Saturday, Feb. 20, is not that event.

"We are not calling it Fire & Ice because it's not (that)," said DeKarske, who made it clear that Fire & Ice will not be held for 2021. Instead, it will be replaced by the 2021 Lititz Ice Walk, which will include more than 50 ice sculptures and extended hours at many stores and restaurants.

The Ice Walk will include a variety of sculpted creations. The plan is to place interactive pieces near the Lititz Springs Park and the Lititz Post Office, with these pieces interspersed with smaller pieces that families can visit as they stroll through Lititz. "There will be a couple of the larger sculptures that are carved in place on display by Feb. 12," said DeKarske. "They will be there as long as Mother Nature allows."

Smaller pieces, which will be carved before delivery, will be brought by freezer truck from DiMartino Ice Company of Jeannette. DeKarske will have a freezer truck available in Lititz to hold those so they can be gradually placed. "On the one block, we will put out some at the beginning, and every couple days we will add more," explained DeKarske, who has arranged for a group of volunteers to place the crystalline sculptures. "We are trying to spread them out to encourage people to walk around (outside)."

Among this year's sculptures will be likenesses of dogs and cars, along with a Statue of Liberty and Mike, the shorter monster from "Monsters, Inc." "Last year, we had one that said 'Lititz' and had a rubber ducky, and that one will be coming back," said DeKarske, noting that the ice sculptures are sponsored by local businesses. "We will have the Wilbur Bud and the Sturgis Pretzel," she added.

In addition, local retailers and restaurants will extend their evening hours to encourage visitors to come in while observing COVID-19 restrictions with regard to masks and social distancing. "We are encouraging people to come during the week," said DeKarske, who noted that Discover Lancaster, which promotes all areas of the county, is partnering with Venture Lititz on the event.

While the weeklong Ice Walk will bring traffic to Lititz businesses, DeKarske shared that an important goal is to alleviate cabin fever in area residents. "We are doing something free to help families get out (of the house)," she said. "That's always been the goal, but I think that it's been (an especially difficult) year. We'd like to bring joy to people's faces."

Readers who would like more information on the Ice Walk may visit http://www.lititzpa.com or search for "Downtown Lititz" on Facebook.