Fire and Ice is the theme of Warsaw’s First Friday event set to begin with ice carving in the morning hours.

Paula Bowman is the coordinator of the First Friday events in downtown Warsaw. She says this week’s celebration with feature 46 ice sculptures, all created out of 300 pound to 600 pound blocks of ice.

Ten members of the Michiana Ice Carvers group will be in Warsaw at about 9 a.m. Friday to begin work on the sculptures which will include a beer mug outside of Mad Anthony’s, penguins and frogs near Reinholt’s Town Square Furniture, and angel wings to commemorate a cancer victim. Each sculpture will be fitted with either colored lights or fire to really set them off.

The Fire & Ice First Friday will also present two performances by South Bend-based Pyrotation Nation. The group, featured in the video above, will perform at 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. at the intersection of Center and Buffalo streets downtown. Pyrotation Nation manipulates fire using a variety of props and devices to produce a fire show that not only entertains but inspires.

As part of the First Friday event, the 4-H Junior Leaders will host their fundraising chili supper in the Kosciusko County Annex building, formerly First Christian Church at the corner of Lake and Main streets. The chili dinner will take place from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Outside, the group will serve hot chocolate throughout the evening. Bowman says several other organizations and businesses will also be serving hot chocolate and coffee around the downtown area.

Although no official warming stations will be set up, most all downtown businesses will be open late Friday and are having sales or other special events. The Next Chapter Bookseller will have local authors Nathan Marchand and Nick and Natasha Hayden at the store from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Girl Scouts will be on hand selling cookies, and there will be a photo opportunity outside of Dennie House featuring one of the ice sculptures. Downtown restaurants will also have specials throughout the night.

The Fire & ice First Friday event officially begins at 5 p.m. and runs through 9 p.m.