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Johnny's SummaryFire & Ice Days
January 28 - January 29
It's a day to embrace the joys of an old-fashioned winter, complete with ice skating, sledding on vintage 1830s sleds, and horse-drawn sleigh rides.
Did you know that in the days before refrigeration, New England ice was a prized ""cash crop"" that was shipped all over the world?
Join Old Sturbridge Village historians and ice expert Dennis Picard (shown at left) director of the Storrowtown Village Museum, at the Village's Mill Pond to watch ice harvested the old-fashioned way (weather permitting). Picard is a leading authority on historical ice harvesting and was featured on the PBS Nova documentary, Absolute Zero: The Conquest of Cold.
OSV visitors can try their hands at cutting ice with vintage tools and learn the story of Boston's ""ice king,"" Frederic Tudor, who pioneered the 19th-century ice industry and made a fortune. (Note: ice cutting demonstrations are dependent on weather and proper conditions).
Read more about Boston's Ice King and the early New England ice industry.
Afterwards, warm up with hot cider, stories, songs and fireside tales. Watch magician Robert Olson demonstrate 18th-century magic tricks.
Fire & Ice Days sponsored by
Fire & Ice Days Upcoming Dates
Saturday, January 28, 2012 - Sunday, January 29, 2012
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