Rooster Ice Sculpture from First Night

Every year, a family-oriented New Year's Eve event is held in downtown State College, PA, and it is called First Night. During the years that I lived just a few blocks from downtown, I often walked over to visit the ice sculptures, which are a key part of the show.

Many years, the ice sculptures melt quickly. However, with the ultra-chilly temperatures we've been experiencing, the sculptures are holding up quite well. I spotted a few of them on Tuesday afternoon as my bus drove through downtown State College. Of course, I wanted to stop and get some pictures!

On this morning, I got off my bus downtown to enjoy a quick, hot, and tasty breakfast at the Corner Room. I also decided to visit a few of the sculptures. Much to my delight, at least a half-dozen of them were available on the 100-block of South Allen Street.

So it came to be that there is an ice rooster standing (tied fast, actually) in front of the Corner Room. I photographed it from a side angle such that the ice picked up the colors of the doors at a store across the street, The Animal Kingdom (which features the most awesome selection of stuffed animals in one place that I've ever seen, by the way).

So here, for your enjoyment, is the ice rooster guarding the doors of the Corner Room, one of my favorite restaurants in State College. I have it on good word that this fella is cold as ice. . . . So the song for this shot is Foreigner, with Cold As Ice.