OBSERVER File Photo This picture from 2020 shows the castle built for the Mayville Winter Festival. It was made of snow and ice.

MAYVILLE – While the CHQ Chamber of Commerce has canceled the annual Mayville Winter Festival, an effort is underway to get an ice castle built and hold a slimmed down celebration.

On Tuesday, Chamber President Daniel Heitzenrater announced that the annual festival, which was scheduled for President’s Day Weekend in February, would not take place this year.

“After a great deal of discussion with insurance carriers around this event, the unfortunate reality is that there are certain activities and events traditionally associated with the Winter Festival that have now been deemed as ‘high-risk,’ and therefore become either uninsurable or very expensive to insure. As a result, very few of the traditional events, and some of the new things that were being planned, for this long-standing festival are not possible,” he said.

The CHQ Chamber made the decision the night before at a planning meeting.

The announcement took many people in the community by surprise. There had been no talk of canceling the festival at any public meetings. One official said he learned it was being canceled after reading the news release on Facebook.

On Wednesday, a group of community leaders and businesses gathered at Andriaccio’s to discuss the possibility of salvaging the festival.

Syper said he was in attendance at the Monday night meeting when the decision was made. He said some of the concerns insurance had was for fireworks, bonfires and didn’t want to allow backpacks to be brought in the village park.

But after Wednesday’s impromptu meeting, Syper said he was presented a letter requesting the village sponsor the building of the ice castle.

“Tuesday I will present that to the village board for their hopeful approval,” he said during an interview.

The ice castle is often the centerpiece of the Mayville Winter Festival, however in the last few years it’s been too warm to build it. In terms of recent history, there was an ice castle in 2018 and 2019. In 2020 and 2022, the castle was a mixture of snow and ice. There was no festival in 2021 due to COVID-19.

In 2023 and 2024, due to the lack of snow, a wooden castle was used.

With the colder temperatures, some thought there was a possibility an ice castle could be built this year. Syper said he hopes this is the case.

“If Mother Nature keeps it cold enough,” he said.

Syper said back in the 1980s, building the ice castle was all they used to do. As time went along, the Chamber of Commerce took over planning the celebration and a number of events were added to it.

He said he doesn’t know yet what other things could happen should the village board agree to sponsor building the ice castle, but is encouraged that something will happen.

“I think it (festival) is a positive thing. It’s a big economic part for the village,” he said.