'The Nutcracker' In Ice: Holiday Display Is A Cool Winter Wonderland

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By Jay Cook
TINTON FALLS – Instead of watching from the seats in a theater, how about actually walking through scenes of the holiday classic “The Nutcracker?”
At the Ice King warehouse on Route 33, visitors can do just that. The building has been transformed into an immense ice palace, depicting the legendary ballet scene by scene. It’s a frigid 15 degrees inside, with fans blowing chilly air around, so visitors should bundle up as if preparing for a trip to the North Pole. The below-freezing temperatures, which are necessary for the display to keep its form, can easily put a wintry chill on an underdressed visitor.
It took a month and a half for world-renowned sculptor Ed Jarrett to turn 80 tons of ice into a crystal wonderland. The Ice King Nutcracker by Ed Jarrett & Company walk-through has quickly become a premiere holiday display in the state, in only its first year.
“Sustainable ice sculptures is the way to go, and that’s why they’re building facilities now to do these types of shows, because it is amazing,” said
Jarrett of Maine, a Guinness World Record sculptor and mastermind behind the project.

Sculptor Ed Jarrett is the mastermind behind the display, who spent 450 hours and almost two months carving in below-freezing temperatures. Photo by Jay Cook
Sculptor Ed Jarrett is the mastermind behind the display, who spent 450 hours and almost two months carving in below-freezing temperatures. Photo by Jay Cook

“It’s really about the kids and the magical part of Christmas,” said Frank Lomangino, manager of Ice King, a mass-production ice-making facility, now in its 27th year of business. “If I can make the kids smile, it’s magical. Family is the whole thing behind it.”
Since his nieces and nephews were born, Lomangino has brought them to his massive white warehouse on Christmas Eve, sitting on the roof, looking up for that legendary red-nose reindeer in the night sky.
But as each year passed, his desire to create a a bigger and unforgettable Christmas memory grew. It was finally fulfilled when he met Jarrett for the first time two years ago.
While searching the state for blocks of ice to create an ice sculpture at Laurita Winery in New Egypt, Jarrett stopped into the Ice King warehouse, and was in awe of the opportunity in front of him.
It did not take long for the ice king and the sculptor to strike a deal, allowing the artist to work at the site. Lomangino bounced some holiday-themed ideas off Jarrett, who was thinking the same thing. “I said well, I have something in my head,” Jarrett said. He knew at that moment he was going to recreate “The Nutcracker” in ice.
Inspired by his daughters, who had performed the ballet at dance classes in their youth, Jarrett saw the Ice King compound had everything he needed: room to work, an endless supply of ice and a partner with the same vision.
“I would never have done this at an outdoor event, because most of my places are in tents or they’re trying to do it in the winter. If you get a high-heat, you’re done,” Jarrett said.
Found in two massive, back-to-back industrial-sized freezers, the recreation of the famous performance is separated scene by scene. Little blue signs which depict each scene, are found before each sculpture. Houses, children, kings and queens, Christmas trees, and a grandfather clock are just a few of the many sculptures Jarrett and his team created from Oct. 13 through Nov. 25.
“I’m the last one to leave and the first one to get here, and I walk through there after everybody leaves, and I’m like, ‘Wow, really?’” said Lomangino.
Eugene Juryn, a Wall Township resident who walked through the tour with his wife and two kids, was impressed with the display.
“It’s awesome, obviously a lot of work went into it,” he said. “It’s definitely a pretty intricate display that took a lot of time to make.” Though he was wearing a winter jacket and hat, he regretted not bringing his gloves.
With his family, Juryn drives around during the holiday season, looking for houses with elaborate light displays. The Ice King warehouse will be on their list of places to visit during the holidays next year.
“It’s so different, you just don’t see something like this much, the ice sculptures,” he said.
While the public was enjoying the tour Monday evening, Jarrett and his team were hard at work in the back of the warehouse. Ripping through a block of ice with an electric chainsaw, the renowned ice sculptor was disassembling a full-size ice bar for a trip this weekend.
He is a featured artist at the Kennebunkport Christmas Prelude in Maine, a weekend display showcasing ice sculptures from artists around the country. This year, along with the bar, Jarrett is bringing an icy rendition of Santa’s sleigh, a Christmas tree with martini luges (a fun and different way to pour alcohol) and life-size frozen replicas of both Chewbacca and R2-D2, all created inside Ice King.
Another big weekend looks to be in store for the indoor winter wonderland, as Lomangino said the number of attendees are growing as Christmas approaches. Last Friday, he said 1,300 people visited the exhibition.
If the traffic is still high when Jarret returns from his Maine trip, he says more work could be coming to “The Nutcracker” scenes.
“If I come back and this thing is blowing up on us, people are responding to it the way they already have and we continue to grow the crowd, then what we’re going to do is I’m going to add another five to 10 tons of ice and add some things with detail,” he said.
Sugarplum fairies and an ice bridge are both ideas crystalizing in his head.
“We’re all about the people being impressed when they walk out, there has to be a wow-factor,” Jarrett said. “I’ll stay with these guys as long as they’re with me on that.”
The Ice King Nutcracker by Ed Jarrett and Company display will be open to the public through New Year’s Day. Currently, the viewing hours are Monday through Thursday, 4 to 8 p.m.; Friday, 4 to 10 p.m.; Saturday, noon to 10 p.m.; and Sunday, noon to 8 p.m.
Ticket prices vary for each age group. Adults are $10, seniors, military and law enforcement officers are $8, children under 12 are $5; any child under 3-years-old is free.
For more information on the one-of-a-kind presentation, visit www.IceKingNutcracker.com.