Chainsaws and frozen toes were abundant on the eve of the 21st Annual Plymouth International Ice Sculpture Spectacular.

By midnight, meticulous sculptors, tired and cold from hours of chipping, scraping, and sawing had forged works of art out of thousands of pounds of ice.

For Henry Ford Community College, these sculptures and this event have become a tradition. Every year the HFCC Ice Carving Club comes together to build a piece for the Plymouth show, which is deep in tradition itself, being the largest and oldest ice sculpting show in North America.

This year, HFCC turned 10,000 pounds of ice into a frozen testament to comic book hero Spiderman. The sculpture took the 24-member team 10 hours to complete, and although the task was daunting, the members praised the opportunity.

"Ice carving is enjoyable, different, and fun," said Canton resident Melissa Howards. "You get to learn a skill, which helps at work, and you learn teamwork."

Howards is a second-year student ice carver for HFCC and employee at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Dearborn.

Chef Richard Teeple, Hospitality Studies Program instructor at HFCC and ice club adviser, placed a high emphasis on the group effort required to carry out such an elaborate ice sculpture.

"The team effort makes this work, as past graduates and current students alike all come together to work on the sculpture," said Teeple.

Jami Briggs, Ann Arbor resident, HFCC alumnus and full-time chef at the Sheraton Hotel in Ann Arbor, came out to help HFCC. Briggs learned sculpting at HFCC and has carried it on to his career.

"I learned ice carving and I enjoyed it, and now I would like to make money from it," said Briggs. He is opening his own ice carving business, Wolverine Ice.

Learning from experienced carvers such as Teeple and Briggs is all part of the fun. Amy Libby, Dearborn resident and student president of the HFCC Ice Carving Club, feels she has acquired valuable skills.

"I was able to learn how to visualize things in 3-D, work as a team, and use a chainsaw," said Libby.

Amateur, professional, high school and college sculptors competed for $10,000 in prizes and scholarships. Detroit resident Brian Swift competed in the college competition for HFCC. Swift had four hours to transform a 300-pound block of ice into a sculpture.

"The first thing you do when you are competing is to prepare," explained Swift. "You are racing against the clock, so you have to make sure you have all the correct tools and be well practiced so you can do everything you plan."

The Plymouth show was just the start for the HFCC club’s competitive season. The club also competed in the National Ice Carving Championship in Frankenmuth Jan. 31-Feb. 2.

For more information on HFCC’s ice Carving Club and classes, call the HFCC Hospitality Studies Program at 845-6390 or go to www.hfcc.edu.