Jack Frost Festival starts Friday

By ZACHARY MARANO

zmarano@yourdailyglobe.com

Ironwood — The Jack Frost Festival starts in Ironwood on Friday and will run to the end of January. This weekend’s events include a parade, ice-carving event and a visit from Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus.

Ironwood Area Chamber of Commerce Director Michael Meyer said that some businesses in downtown Ironwood celebrate the first Friday of the month by staying open late and Dec. 3, or “Frost Friday,” will be no different.

The fourth annual Northern Elves Holiday Market will be held from 3 to 7 p.m. on Friday and noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday. On both days, vendors will set up booths at the Historic Ironwood Depot and other locations downtown.

“We are drawing inspiration from outdoor holiday markets similar to other well-known events such as the Winter Village in NYC’s Bryant Park and Winter Wonderland in London’s Hyde Park,” the Northern Elves Festival website says.

Northern Elves is also hosting its second annual ice-carving event from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday in the Downtown City Square. The carvings will remain on display until they melt.

The Historic Ironwood Theatre is showing “Joulutarina” — a 2007 Finnish film directed by Juha Wuolijoki, about how an orphan boy grows up to become Santa Claus — at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The theater is also showing the 1947 film “Miracle on 34th Street,” written and directed by George Seaton, at 4 p.m. on Saturday.

Children can meet Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus and tell them what presents they want for Christmas from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday at Incredible Bank in Ironwood.

Also on Saturday, the Jack Frost Festival 50/50 raffle drawing will be held at 2 p.m. at Northwind Natural Foods Co-op in Ironwood. Meyers said that the chamber of commerce sold all 200 raffle tickets this year and raised $20,000 in ticket sales. Half the money will go to funding chamber events and the other half will be awarded in prizes, with the first-place prize being $5,000.

After the raffle drawing and holiday market, the annual Santa dash will start at 5:30 in front of the Ironwood Carnegie Library. Participants will wear paper Santa costumes and fake beards and run southwest on Aurora Street through downtown.

The weather forecast is good for the Jack Frost Festival of Lights Parade on Saturday. The parade line-up starts at 5 p.m. The parade will start at 6 p.m. and follow the same route as the Santa dash. More than 40 parade units have registered in this year’s parade, including the Ironwood Public Safety Department, Gogebic County Sheriff’s Department and Wakefield Fire Department, as well as the HOPE Animal Shelter, Ironwood Youth Gay-Straight Alliance and Fat Tire Bike Group.

The Jack Frost Festival continues with events in December and January, including the Ironwood Area Middle and High School Christmas concert at the Historic Ironwood Theatre at 2 p.m. on Sunday.

The festival will end with the “Light Up the Night” Christmas tree burning event at the Norrie Amateur Sports Club at 7 p.m. on Jan. 29.