Lititz Fire and Ice Festival

The Lititz Fire & Ice Festival originated 10 years ago to help shake the mid-winter blues that fall upon us for our community as well as to provide some much-needed street activity for our downtown business’s. A group of women called the Lititz Women in Business, spearheaded by two women, Dawn Rissmiller and Tammy Boltz came up with the concept of having this festival. It took 2 years for them to put the event together and over the years the LWIB disbanded, but the event was taken to the Lititz LEO Club with the guidance of its two founders to run and make it their own. With that, changes have been made each year to make it a unique and creative event for all. Many volunteers come together from our Lititz LEO Club and their families, our supporting Lititz Lions Club and folks from the community that have supported the event all to make it a success for Lititz. This year we have 2 new venue’s – the Saturday Night Movie Night and the Dodge ball tournament on Sunday and plans have already begun for the 2014 event to include a dance, a concert in the park and a Fire & Ice Run through Lititz.
So celebrate Lititz and its small town feeling with the large town event! Pull out your scarf and mittens, bundle the kids up and be sure to grab your camera, you won’t want to miss the faces of those that sit upon the giant Moravian Manor ice throne for the first time or zip down the Luther Care Ice Slide. Along with the ice fun we have many food vendors, activities, entertainment from Bobby D and Jill Pill in the Park Gazebo, fire eaters, magicians, and MUCH MORE!
Listed below are some frequent questions that are asked:

When is the live ice sculpting? Friday night from 5-9pm DiMartino Ice Company out of Jeannette, PA will be carving 7 ice sculptures this year! The one-blocks will be placed some time throughout Friday (depending upon weather) but will be available for viewing after 5pm.
Where do I park? Parking is free throughout Lititz and its various parking lots for the Friday Night Block Party. Parking is available at the high school for the Chili Cook off and the Winter Wonderland Carnival. There are large parking lots adjacent to both venues. Entrance into the chili cook off is at the front of the high school and entrance to the carnival is towards the back of the building near Grosh Field (football field).
Where exactly is the Friday Night Block Party? The venue is on the 1st block of Main Street, Broad (Route 501) and throughout the Lititz Springs Park.
Is anything inside? The venues on Saturday and Sunday are inside. The Block Party is all outside.
What is the Chili Cook-off? This event is an opportunity to try 20 different chili’s and supports 20 different charities. Every chef represents a different charity that is vying for your vote along with the ultimate grand prize of the People Champion. A sampling of the charities being supported this year from our Chefs are: March of Dimes; Landis Homes Caring Fund; Alzheimer’s Association; Breast Cancer; Lititz REC Center; Appalichia Trail Mission Project; Grace Church; Lititz Fire Company; Lititz Library; KPETS; Lititz Christian School; Cast Away Critters; EARS (Ephrata Area Rehabilitation Services); Hospice of Lancaster; and Woodridge Pool. Throughout the years we have seen various white chilis, veggie chili, beef, elk, chicken, steak, chocolate chili, spicy chili, sweet chili and “secret ingredient” chili’s. Come out and enjoy this one-of-a-kind event!
What is at the Carnival? The Winter Wonderland Carnival is an indoor carnival with food, activities that include face painting and coloring/craft stations, inflatables, games and contests. We also have some very special guests that will be strolling throughout the event that you won’t want to miss! The event is a pay-as-you-go and tickets will be available at the carnival entrance which is the main gym next to the football field. Parking is available in the lots adjacent to the fields.
What is the movie that is showing during the Movie Night? This year we are showing “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” at the Linden Hall theatre. The event is free to the public. Snacks will be available for purchase.
What is the Dodge Ball Tournament? This event will be held on Sunday at the Warwick High School gym. It is open to teams of 6th – 9th grade, 10th – 12th grade and adults. Costs and details are found on the sponsorship page on the homepage of this event.
What should I wear? The Fire & Ice Festival is held outdoors on Friday night for the block party regardless of weather. Dress should be appropriate to the weather.
When should we arrive? If you are coming for the Block party, it begins at 5pm however shops and restaurants are open throughout the day. We suggest you come early and shop/eat and then stay to enjoy the evenings’ festivities! If you are arriving for the Chili Cook –off or Carnival those hours are 11am – 3pm and you do not need to necessarily arrive early. The cost is $8 before the event and $10 at the door. Due to the tremendous press coverage this year for the event we cannot guarantee that buttons will be available at the venue. We HIGHLY suggest that you purchase your button before the event. Buttons can be purchased before the event at Bombergers Store, Dosie Dough of Lititz, Moravian Manor and Stauffers of Kissel Hill Lititz branch. If you are out of the area, you may contact Jeff Esbenshade to purchase tickets at 717-371-2039.
How can I become a sponsor/participant in the event? If you would like to be a sponsor or participant in the event, please contact Dawn at (717) 371-1846. Sponsorship pages are also available on this website on the home page.
How can I volunteer to help? The Lititz LEO Club is the organization that sponsors this event. If you are a middle school or high school student, you can become a member of this dynamic organization by logging onto the www.lititzlions.org website and clicking on the LEO page. The application is available along with basic club information. If you are an adult or have a group that would like to volunteer and give back to this wonderful community event, please call Dawn at (717) 371-1846 or email lititzleoclub@gmail.com for specific volunteer opportunities.