Wild Rivers Interpretive Center hosts ice sculptor Mac Winker
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By JIM PAUL
Staff Writer
FLORENCE Wis. -- As part of the recent Winter in Florence celebration, the Wild Rivers Interpretive Center showed off its recent updates and hosted renowned ice sculptor Mac Winker.
Winker is known as the "father" of the ice-carving template, in which he uses a template to quickly reproduce his most in-demand sculptures. Winker wrote the book, "Ice Sculpture: The Art of Ice Carving in 12 Systematic Steps."
Winker is a Wisconsin native who spent years in Memphis, Tenn., where he owned a tennis club that was a pro tour stop. Winker currently lives in Tomahawk, Wis., and spends winters in St. Croix in the Virgin Islands. Though normally already down there this late into the year, he remained in Wisconsin at the request of his daughter, Kasha Shaw, the Wild Rivers Interpretive Center director, to appear at the Winter in Florence event.
Winker was first exposed to ice sculpting while studying hospitality management at Michigan State University. Winker would get serious about ice sculpting in 1971.
When Winker managed the renowned Shady Oaks Country Club in Sublette, Ill., he used ice sculptures as a marketing tool, giving one away with every wedding booked at the club.
Winker became well-known and in demand for his ice sculpting and has appeared all over the world. The highlight for him was doing a 6-foot-tall carving for golf's Ryder Cup event in Belfry, England.
For Winter in Florence, Winker demonstrated how to carve a humpback salmon and his signature vase, a sculpture he has done thousands of times.
Winker started out with 300-pound blocks of ice that are shipped in from Colorado. He works using only a chainsaw, chisels and a die grinder. Each sculpture takes about an hour.
In addition to Winker's sculptures at the Wild Rivers Interpretive Center, Santa Claus was there for the children and cookies, cider and hot chocolate were available for all who attended Dec. 2.