Gleaming goldfish takes top prize in carver's competition during Fire & Ice WinterFest
(Talk of the Town photos by Jennifer Zartman Romano)
It was a beautiful weekend for ice carving in downtown Columbia City as artists from throughout the region gathered to compete and amaze residents with their skills. In the end, carver Eric Pfaff's work was selected as the community's favorite -- a gleaming giant goldfish expertly carved in ice near the entrance to the Whitley County Courthouse, below. Above, standing far right, ice carving contest chairman Stan Horne interviews the carvers about their unique works of art.
At right, from left, are top prize winners Michael Evans, third; Eric Pfaff, first place, People's Choice and Mayor's Choice; and Jim Houser, third place.
On Saturday, the carvers worked on commissioned pieces for local businesses. Those carvings were then displayed around the Whitley County Courthouse lawn or in front of the sponsoring business. On Sunday, carvers were able to express ideas of their own in ice during a timed competition that ran much of the morning and early afternoon. 
This year's ice carving competition was sponsored by CenturyLink and PHP.