An Interview with Ice A Fair's Pete and Jolly!
Jolly the Snowman and Pete the Penguin, chillin’ in Vermilion.
Ice A Fair is a delightfully busy day. In between some troubleshooting and just enjoying the beautiful winter weather, I had a chance to sit down with the faces of Ice A Fair, Pete the Penguin and Jolly the Snowman. What’s behind that big round head, that big yellow beak and their perpetual smiles? Just what do we need to know about these characters who show up every year at Ice A Fair. Here’s what you should know.
MARILOU: You guys just kind of show up every year, invited or not. How did you become the mascots of Main Street Vermilion’s Ice A Fair?
JOLLY: Believe it or not, I was born in Vermilion shortly after the Great Blizzard of 1978 (ask your mom about it).. It was a doozie of a storm that dumped several feet of snow across Ohio. After the storm broke, I was “born” on a lovely family’s front yard on Liberty Avenue. They gave me a carrot for a nose, a felt hat and a wool scarf to wear. Since I’m made of frozen water, I spend most of my time traveling to cold climates to avoid the dreaded melt. I come back to my hometown of Vermilion every February for the Ice A Fair. I love seeing my old friends and making new ones!
PETE: I was a nobody for years but I have Jolly for the large flightless seabird I am today. I met him on one of his trips to Antarctica many years ago. I jumped out of the ocean one day after hours of fruitless fishing and headed to my favorite ice slide to relax and unwind. Much to my astonishment, there was a snowman lounging at the bottom of the slide. The nerve! I courteously squawked at him to move, but he just laid there chilling. So, I barreled down the slide at top speed and completely plowed him over. It was great fun! After helping him find his carrot nose and hat, we became dear friends. Every year, he invites me to join him at his annual homecoming, the Ice A Fair. This year, we re-enacted our meeting on the slide at the Frozen Play Space in Downtown Vermilion! It drew quite a crowd!
MARILOU: So, this is a seasonal gig. Where do you like to vacation?
JOLLY: My favorite place to just get away from it all is Iceland. For guys like me, snow-covered beaches are the best and the Northern Lights are spectacular. It’s the perfect place to unwind from the stresses of snowman life and forget about things like melting, which is always my biggest worry. The only down-side is that the adorable little artic foxes try to eat my nose while I’m lounging on the beach. Such rude little mammals!
PETE: My favorite place to vacation is Vermilion, of course! It’s nice to get away from Antarctica once a year. I just love seeing all the friendly people around town and the ice sculptures are just marvelous. Plus, flippers down, the yellow perch is the best fish in the entire world! Believe me, I should know. I’ve sampled a lot of fish!
MARILOU: Makes perfect sense. What about you, Jolly, what’s your favorite eat?
JOLLY: That’s an easy one. Snow cones. Any flavor, except yellow. They are so nourishing and beyond delicious.
MARILOU: I’ve heard you two like to go to the movies when you’re done chillin’. What’s the scariest movies you’ve ever seen?
PETE: I have two; Free Willy and anything shown during Shark Week on the Discovery Channel. Did you see that kid wearing a shark beanie at the Ice A Fair earlier today? He stalked me down the street! It was positively terrifying but I out waddled him.
JOLLY: I saw that and it was hilarious for the rest of us. Pete made quite a mess on the sidewalk before he realized it was just a kid in a shark hat. Oh, back to the question. The scariest movie I ever was Cast Away. The thought of being stranded on a hot desert island like that is a snowman’s worst nightmare.
MARILOU: I feel ya’, Jolly. What about your all-time favorite movies?
JOLLY: Frozen. What’s not to love about Olaf the Snowman? Brilliant.
PETE: The Madagascar movies. All of them. I auditioned to be the fifth penguin, but they decided to only cast four. Apparently, I was “too tall” for the role. Their loss.
MARILOU: It was a delight getting to know both of you. Let’s wrap up by telling our reader what you liked best about Ice A Fair 2022.
PETE: Besides acting like a penguin chick at the Frozen Play Space, I think my next favorite thing was dancing through the bar at Rudy’s Bar and Grill. It was so great watching adult’s faces light up when I walked into the bar like they’ve never seen a penguin in a bar. Everyone wanted to get a selfie with Pete the Penguin. Who can blame them? Penguins are the life of the party!
JOLLY: Where should I start? I got to snuggle with an adorable future companion dog, I chilled out next to a cool sculpture of a chilled hippie at Woodstock Café, I shared an ice cream with my best pal Pete at Big Ed’s soda shop, and I helped to make loads of kids and adults smile throughout the day. What can be better than that!
MARILOU: Thanks, Pete and Jolly don’t know where your travels are going to take you until next year but I my money is north. We’ll be looking for you at next year’s Ice A Fair.
Executive Director’s Notes: The identities of Pete the Penguin and Jolly the Snowman have never been revealed and let’s keep it way. It makes it more special for you and protects the identities of community leaders you would never think to step inside these personas for a whole day. Main Street couldn’t be more thankful for their contributions to Ice A Fair and for writing this blog.