MINNEAPOLIS — It's been a long time since Robbie Harrell ran an ice-carving business out of his garage. The business, Minnesota Ice, has since grown large enough to host a popular annual festival.
However, like many events this year, the Minnesota Ice Festival was canceled due to warm weather.
Fortunately, the company is accustomed to providing other organizations and businesses in both Minnesota and Wisconsin with ice sculptures, including a new, 100-foot-long ice bar on Third Street South and Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis.
The more than 30,000-pound icy countertop is part of the Great Northern Festival, which kicked off Thursday, Jan. 25, and runs through Sunday, Feb. 4.
"One-hundred-foot ice bar is really unheard of, especially on Nicollet Mall," Harrell said.
Madde Gibba is producer of the Great Northern Ice Bar and says although it's a bar, kids are still welcome.
"This is a wonderful example of how Minnesotans come together, how we create something out of our time," Gibba said. "This is for the entire family. So, we have spirit-forward drinks, spirit-free drinks. Every single day we have a different bartender, a different taste maker, from all over Minneapolis and St. Paul."
Beverage director Adam Witherspoon of Mara, Four Seasons and 3Leche curated the menu, which features creations from the visiting bars and guest bartenders.
Harrell says it took a team of about 10 professional ice carvers to assemble the bar in seven or eight hours Thursday night. The crew worked during the night because that's when temperatures dip.
Already though, the ice dripped during daylight hours Friday.
"My hands are a little wet, yes," Gibba said after touching the countertop.
The Great Northern Ice Bar opened from 4-7 p.m. Friday, with a celebration involving Mayor Jacob Frey and Former Mayor R.T. Rybak. It's scheduled to be open through Sunday this week, and Wednesday through Sunday next week, with varying hours each day.
Harrell suggested going this weekend in case too much melting occurs by the second weekend.
"The plan for it was to last two weeks," he said. "We're still hopeful because we're getting overnight lows that are below freezing. We use a lot of different methods to keep it as cold as possible. We'll use insulated blankets to help keep it below freezing, as well as dry ice."
The Great Northern Ice Bar is free to attend, but drink tickets cost $5 for kids beverages and beer, $10 for non-alcoholic craft cocktails and $15 for regular craft cocktails.
On Wednesday, Jan. 31, organizers plan to offer free hot chocolate from Caribou Coffee. Metro Transit is also offering free rides to Great Northern events.
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