CAMDEN – Camden came alive Feb. 4, from the Village Green to the Amphitheater, as Winterfest 2017 kicked off with a steady stream of people admiring the developing works of frozen art that culminated at 2:30 p.m. at the head of the harbor for a quick dip into the chilly waters. Across town, at the Snow Bowl, CamJam was in full swing.

A week-long schedule of events will carry through to next Friday, Saturday and Sunday with icy competition at the 27th annual U.S. National Toboggan Championships.

Camden Economic Development Director Karen Brace said there was lots to see and lots to do, plus some good food and hot drinks to help with the cold.

Last year the ice carvings were done in 55 degree Fahrenheit temperatures. This year, it hovered around 24 F.

"I just had some gumbo," Brace said. "You don't want to miss that. We have four teams for the snow carvings. They start with 8- foot high snow blocks on the Village Green. They will finish those up on Sunday and the winner will go on to the Nationals in Wisconsin."

The snow carvers competed in an advanced and intermediate group, and their creations ranged from abstract art to recognizable physical objects from pop culture. The winner is provided an all-expense paid trip to the National Snow Sculpture Championship in Wisconsin, representing the state of Maine.

Brace said there were 12 teams entered in the ice sculptures.

"Some of them are already done and they are just beautiful," she said early in the day. "And this year we have a special Winterfest ice sculpture. As you walk into the entrance of the Amphitheater you see Pietera Santa and Tim Pierce from the Samoset are carving each letter of Winterfest into a block of ice. It's beautiful and I hope it lasts for a while."

The CamJam ski and snowboard competition for kids was moved to the Snow Bowl this year due to lack of natural snow on the hill at Harbor Park.

Pierce, executive chef at the Samoset Resort, has been a busy person. Last month he carved 20,000 pounds of ice for the Samoset's Ice Bar, held a ice carving workshop at the library and was the go-to guy for those carving at Winterfest Saturday.

Pierce busied himself helping and coaching the teams while also finding the time to work on the big Winterfest sign at the entrance.

Events continue all week long. View the full schedule here: Camden Winterfest.