Sunday, January 19, 2014

Signs and Sculptures: Waukesha Janboree


Yesterday, I spent part of the snowy day in my old home city, Waukesha, to attend their annual Janboree.  Every year, they have a winter festival with outdoor games, arts & crafts for kids and a popular ice sculpture contest.

While I was down there, I remembered that some of the businesses in the downtown area have put up some art of their own spotlighting the city's history.


One of the themes of these murals is the electric guitar, invented by Waukesha native Les Paul.  Waukesha is known as one of many Gibson Guitar Towns, and the Waukesha County Museum even has a permanent exhibit dedicated to Paul.



But, the main reason I went back to downtown Waukesha was the ice sculpting contest.  This year's theme was "The Olympics" (makes sense), and the sculptures ranged from athletes to the Olympic torch to the 5 Olympic rings.  Unfortunately, I couldn't stay until the sculptures were finished since the snow was accumulating and I was worried about driving home.  But, as you can see below, the sculptors worked hard to make their creations, and I was very impressed by their talent to turn ice into art.