Ice Castles Cites Soil Issues for Move Out of Maple Grove
Utah-based Ice Castles is returning with its ice sculpture attraction to Minnesota this winter, but it won’t be in Maple Grove this winter.
City tourism leaders say the location’s soil is to blame.
Last year, Ice Castles crafted a winter wonderland in Maple Grove. Unfortunately, the attraction was only open for five full days instead of its projected months due to a historically warm winter.
“The projected economic impact, which fits with our mission at Experience Maple Grove, was in the several million dollars,” said Greg Anzelc, executive director of Experience Maple Grove. “It was an event we were really comfortable bringing to Maple Grove.”
The historically warm winter made Minnesota an unfit location, a factor completely out of Ice Castles and Maple Grove’s control. Anzelc said he and his team put their focus on the next season as last year’s wrapped up.
“There were a lot of factors that went into Maple Grove being a good home for Ice Castles, and we certainly wanted that to be a multi-year opportunity,” Anzelc said.
Mother Nature was not cooperating with the Ice Castles crew members in mid-December.
Soil Conditions Contributed to State Fair Move
The castles are returning to Minnesota to hopefully brave another winter, but it won’t be in Maple Grove.
Ice Castles shared a release Monday stating that the castles will be located at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds this year. In the release, Ice Castles CEO Kyle Standifird said the new space will allow them to craft something “truly unique.”
“The decision to move to the Minnesota State Fairgrounds comes after careful consideration,” Sandifird said in the release. “We value our relationship with the city of Maple Grove and Experience Maple Grove, but we faced some construction challenges at that site last year.”
Construction challenges, Anzelc explained, that had to do with the land’s soil. The soil at the Maple Grove site is clay-based and not easy to drain through. With a water-based attraction like Ice Castles, the ability to drain without flooding is crucial.
“We realized after the event last year, actually midway through the really warm winter, that the water just wasn’t draining,” Anzelc said. “When you have an event with 15, 17, 18 million gallons of water, that water needs somewhere to go.”
Anzelc said Ice Castles needs four things to work: parking, power, water and drainage. With the fourth lacking, Ice Castles had to move on.
Though it didn’t work out this year, Anzelc said this is not the last large event Maple Grove will throw.
“Experience Maple Grove, along with the city of Maple Grove, demonstrated our ability to attract and put on an event the size and magnitude of Ice Castles,” Anzelc said.
