EASLEY – With the holidays just around the corner, two Easley businesses, DunBurks Premier Events and Sweet Creations were inspired to bring the first annual Upstate Arctic Ice Show to Easley.

Rhonda Duncan, co-owner of DunBurks Premier Events said, “We have been exploring events that would bring people to the Easley area so they can experience a true small town Christmas celebration while also supporting local charities. This Arctic Ice Show will do just that.”

The event will offer Christmas scenes including Santa in his ice chair, a sleigh large enough for a family of four and seven foot nutcrackers.

After carving ice sculptures at Easley’s July 4 event, Terry McLees of Sweet Creations suggested having a Holiday show in Easley. McLees also showed of his ice sculpting talent during one of the Liberty Idol shows during the summer.

“People are becoming more interested in ice carvings around this area,” said McLees. “They are amazed at the creations that come from a block of ice and the amount of work and detail that goes into the designs.”

Several carvers from around the state will accompany McLees to provide private tours and educational sessions for local schools on Dec. 14 and 15.

McLees said it’s important for students to understand what goes into carving. The carvers will teach the students that starting with a block of ice, one must understand density, temperatures, melting conditions and the creative vision that is involved.

The event begins on Saturday, Dec. 12 at 11:00 a.m. Local radio station host, Kato Keller, from B93.7’s Torture Tuesday will pack himself away in a block of ice to raise money for him to be chiseled out of his ice bed. 100 percent of the money raised will be donated to the Baptist Easley Medically Fragile Children’s Program with a commitment to receive matching donations for all money raised.

Director of Baptist Easley’s Medically Fragile Children’s Program Jenny Kelly said they were honored to be chosen as the events charity of choice. The program currently provides services to hundreds of children throughout the Upstate. “We see this as an opportunity to raise awareness of our program and services,” she said.

There will be several opportunities to donate to charities during the day. Monetary donations are accepted for the Medically Fragile Children’s Program. Also, nonperishable food items are accepted to support the local food banks. Girl Scouts of America are also accepting clean children’s coats and hats as donations.

The event will be Dec. 12 through Dec. 15th at DunBurks Premier Events in downtown Easley. On Dec. 12, the event will be from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., on Dec. 13, from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. On Dec. 14 and 15, DunBurks will host group tours and educational sessions from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and the ice show will continue from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Adult tickets are $8. Student and senior citizens tickets are $6. For children ages two and under there will be no charge. Group rates for 10 or more people will be $6 per person.

For more information, visit www.dunburks.com or www.sweetcreations.org. For group rates, advanced ticket sales and to schedule a private tour, contact Rhonda Duncan at rduncan@dunburks.com or call 423-2055 or 423-4344.