Sussex Co. Kicks Off 9th Annual Fire & Ice Festival

(SUSSEX CO. Del) – A Sussex County tradition is kicking off tonight, and thousands are expected in Lower Delaware, despite the freezing temperatures.

The Bethany-Fenwick Chamber of Commerce says in spite of the threat of a winter storm or arctic blast and wind chills in the negatives,

They’re ready for nearly 20 thousand people to join the festivities.

“I keep talking to people, on the phone and other involved parties for the event, and they’re actually pretty excited for the cold. In previous years, we’ve had some ice that has melted, as we’ve been blessed with warmer weather in the past. So we’re excited for the cold,” says Chamber Program Director, Emily Mais.

There’s going to be events from all over, for people of all ages.

And just up the road at Salted Vines Vineyard in Frankford is getting just a few of the ice sculptures ready for their kickoff event.

Vineyard Manager, Nicole Ruscavage tells WMDT, “It’s great. I mean, a lot of times we have outdoor events and stuff in the summertime, which we obviously can’t do in the winter. So to be able to have an event like this and attract a lot of the community is great.”

And for some people who call Lower Delaware their home, they’re excited for the kickoff to a weekend of winter fun.

“We try to always go to the local places. This has always been one of our favorites. They always have good music. They have a good setting, good wine,” says Anna Gleisner of Ocean View.

And with tens of thousands set to visit the Bethany Beach area in the off-season, the community is hoping this will be a nice economic boost.

Emily tells us, “…we fully expect if the crowds coming out to look at the ice and to watch the live carvings, to then hopefully go and explore and see what businesses are open and what people are still doing, because nothing’s a hidden gem…”

There’s still plenty of events going on for the Fire and Ice festival into Saturday and Sunday.

The Bethany-Fenwick Chamber of Commerce says they have some big things in store for next year’s event, celebrating the 10th anniversary.