Author: Miss Cellania

A casual fan’s guide to Super Bowl 51. If you’re only going to watch one football game this year, you may as well learn something about it.  
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18 Super Bowl Snacks That Make Watching Football Worth It. The best part of the game!
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10 Oddball Questions Scientists Have Genuinely Tried to Answer. Some lend themselves to experimentation, others are just weird.
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What Would Happen If You Never Got Up From Your Seat? After I read the answer, I felt the need to start a load of laundry, make the bed, and  walk around the yard.
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Would You Believe… the Get Smart Story. The TV show about an intelligence agency with no intelligence.  
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10 Must-Read Books for February. Feed your head something besides news and politics.
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Is Costa Rica the world’s happiest, greenest country? Diverting military funds to health and education paid off for them.
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15 Common Expressions Younger Generations Won’t Understand. They’re based on technology we no longer use.

First Genetic Results From Scott Kelly’s Year In Space Reveal DNA Mysteries. He came back showing chromosomal differences from his twin, astronaut Mark Kelly.  
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7 Real Life Organisms That Seem to be Born From Nightmares. That’s a whole lot of nope.
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The folks at Bad Lip Reading roast the 2016 NFL season. They’re full of trash talk -and none of it makes any sense.   
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Check out an Electromagnetic Levitation Quadcopter. We may someday see mass transit based on this idea.
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Death rates for many US 30-year-olds are rising in an ‘extremely unusual’ way. The culprits, as you may have guessed, are drugs, alcohol, and suicide.  
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Peter Capaldi, Doctor Who, & His Behind the Scenes Humanity. This will be his last season as The Doctor, but he’ll be remembered.
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Our 9,000-Year Love Affair With Booze. Historians once considered alcohol as just another consumable, but it’s becoming more clear that alcohol was one of the driving forces behind a lot of developments and upheavals of human civilization.
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11 Punxsutawney Phil Facts for Groundhog Day. Winter is half over, whether he sees his shadow or not.

When the Space Shuttle Challenger disintegrated 73 seconds after liftoff on January 28, 1986, there were seven astronauts on board whose lives were tragically cut short.

1. DICK SCOBEE // COMMANDER

Lt. Col. Francis Richard Scobee enlisted in the U.S. Air Force after graduating from high school in 1957. He served as an engine mechanic and took college classes in his spare time, earning a degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Arizona in 1965, as well as an officer’s commission. He became a pilot the next year and served in Vietnam as a combat aviator. Scobee then became a test pilot and logged 6500 hours flying 45 different types of aircraft. After joining NASA’s astronaut program in 1978, he not only flew the space shuttle, but also instructed pilots on flying the Boeing 747 that carried shuttles to Florida.

Scobee piloted the shuttle Challenger into space on its fifth mission in April 1984; his next assignment was as commander of the Challenger mission in January 1986. Scobee told his family that his second shuttle mission might be his last. An aunt remembered, ”He said he had acquired everything he wanted in life.’’

Scobee achieved the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He was survived by his wife and two children. His son, Major General Richard W. Scobee, is now the 10th Air Force commander of the Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base.  

2. MICHAEL J. SMITH // PILOT

Captain Michael John Smith grew up near an airstrip in Morehead, North Carolina, and never wanted to do anything but fly. (Once, when he was the quarterback of a junior varsity football team, he called a timeout just so he could watch a military airplane pass overhead.) He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1967 and achieved a master’s degree in aeronautical engineering in 1968. Smith became a pilot in 1969 and served as a flight instructor until he was sent to Vietnam. There, Smith earned numerous medals and citations for two years of combat duty. He then became an instructor. Smith logged 4867 hours of flight time in 28 types of aircraft before becoming part of NASA’s astronaut program in 1980. Smith was assigned as pilot for two shuttle missions in 1986, the first scheduled for January aboard the Challenger. Smith was survived by his wife and three children.

3. RONALD MCNAIR // MISSION SPECIALIST

Dr. Ronald Ervin McNair was a high achiever from an early age. He could read before starting school, and in elementary school was inspired by the Soviet Sputnik launch to pursue an education in science. In 1959, when he was 9 years old, McNair challenged the segregated public library in his hometown of Lake City, South Carolina. His brother Carl told the tale to StoryCorps.

McNair’s educational career was littered with honors, and he achieved a Ph.D. in physics from MIT in 1976. His specialties were lasers and molecular spectroscopy, knowledge he put to use at Hughes Research Laboratories. When NASA began accepting scientists and test pilots into its astronaut program in the ‘70s, McNair applied and made the 1978 class of astronaut candidates. He flew on the Challenger in 1984, spending seven days in orbit and becoming the second African American (after Guy Bluford) to fly in space. The Challenger launch in 1986 was to be his second as a mission specialist.

McNair was an accomplished saxophone player and held a 5th degree black belt in karate. He was survived by his wife and two children. In addition to several schools, streets, and parks named in his honor, the old public library building in Lake City became the Ronald E. McNair Life History Center in 2011.  

4. ELLISON ONIZUKA // MISSION SPECIALIST

Colonel Ellison Shoji Onizuka grew up in Kealakekua, Kona, Hawaii. He earned a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering in June 1969 from the University of Colorado, and then a master’s degree in December that year. Onizuka immediately joined the Air Force and became an aerospace flight test engineer and then a test pilot. Selected as an astronaut candidate in 1978, Onizuka flew on Discovery—the first Department of Defense shuttle mission—in 1985, becoming the first Asian American astronaut to fly in space. In his career, Onizuka logged 1700 hours of flying time and 74 hours in space. The Challenger mission was to be his second space flight.  

Onizuka, a Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force, was posthumously promoted to Colonel. He was survived by his wife and two daughters. Among other honors and memorials, the University of Hawaii has held the Astronaut Ellison Onizuka Science Day every year for the past 17 years to promote science education among students in grades four through 12. This year’s Science Day is Saturday, January 28.

5. JUDITH RESNIK // MISSION SPECIALIST

Dr. Judith Arlene Resnik, a math whiz who also played classical piano, was valedictorian of the Firestone High School Class of 1966 in Akron, Ohio. After earning a perfect SAT score, Resnik went on to get a degree in electrical engineering from Carnegie-Mellon in 1970 and a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland. She helped to develop radar systems for RCA, worked as a biomedical engineer for the National Institutes of Health, and did product development for Xerox, all before being selected for the astronaut program in 1978. She was recruited by Nichelle Nichols of Star Trek fame, who was working for NASA as a recruiter at the time.  

Resnik flew on the space shuttle Discovery in August 1984 and became the second American woman in space (after Sally Ride) as well as the first Jewish American in space. The images from that mission were particularly striking because of Resnik’s long hair floating in microgravity. The Challenger mission was to be her second space flight.  

Among other memorials, the lunar crater Borman X on the far side of the moon was renamed Resnik in 1988. Resnik’s family sued the maker of the defective O-rings that caused the Challenger failure, and used the settlement funds to endow scholarships at Firestone High School and three universities.  

6. GREGORY JARVIS // PAYLOAD SPECIALIST

Gregory Bruce Jarvis was an engineer who became an Air Force captain and an astronaut specifically because of his engineering talent. He earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering in 1967 and a master’s in 1969. Jarvis worked at Raytheon on the SAM-D missile project while completing his studies. He then joined the Air Force and was assigned to research on communications satellites. After an honorable discharge in 1973, Jarvis designed communications satellites for Hughes Aircraft. As an expert in satellite communications, he was selected over 600 other applicants among Hughes employees to be one of two Hughes payload specialists for NASA’s shuttle program in 1984. Jarvis was scheduled for shuttle missions and was bumped twice to make room for celebrity passengers: Utah Senator Jake Garn in March 1985 and Florida Congressman Bill Nelson on January 12, 1986. Jarvis would finally get his chance on the Challenger on January 28.

Jarvis was survived by his wife. In addition to his engineering career, he was an avid outdoorsman and played classical guitar.   

7. CHRISTA MCAULIFFE // PAYLOAD SPECIALIST

In 1984, President Ronald Reagan challenged NASA to make the shuttle’s first “citizen passenger” a teacher. The Teacher in Space Project was born, and more than 11,000 teachers applied for the position. Ultimately, Christa McAuliffe was selected.

Sharon Christa Corrigan McAuliffe held a master’s in education and a job as a social studies teacher at Concord High School in New Hampshire. She had also taught American history, English, and various other subjects at the junior high and high school levels over her 15-year teaching career. McAuliffe arranged for a year away from her job and trained with NASA in anticipation of her shuttle mission. She was supposed to deliver two live lessons broadcast to schools across the country, as well as six more lessons that would be distributed around the country after the shuttle landed.

The fact that a teacher was going to space prompted an unprecedented number of schools to watch the Challenger launch on the morning of January 28, 1986.   

McAuliffe was survived by her husband and two children. The backup teacher selected for the Teacher in Space project, Barbara Morgan, lobbied NASA to reinstate the Teacher in Space program. In 1998, she was named the first Educator Astronaut under a new program. Morgan finally got to go into space in 2007 on the shuttle Endeavour on a mission to the International Space Station.

All images from NASA // Public Domain

This article originally ran in 2016.

Silent Film GIFs Reveal the Special Effects Tricks of Early Cinema. The effort was worth it, as audiences were amazed.
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The Simpsons: How “Bart the Genius” Changed the TV Landscape. It wasn’t supposed to be the series’ first episode, but it was perfect.
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A 29-Year-Old Mayor Shares Insights of Holding Office. And advice on how you can get into an elected position.
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The Story Behind A Spooky Photo Of Fish Frozen In Wall Of Ice. It’s a weird natural phenomenon, not an advertising stunt.
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22 American Food Quirks that the French Think Are Super Weird. We know they’re weird, but some of them are quite delicious.
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U.S. Public Schools Are Suspending Millions of Students, With Little Reward. It eliminates the problem, but those problems are real students.   
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How to make any pancakes fluffier. Plus recipes to dress them up fancy.
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The Lasting Gifts of the Civilian Conservation Corps. It was make-work at the time, but we still enjoy what they built.

Welcome to The Weird Week in Review, where we bring you odd news stories from all over.

1. MAN PAYS FINE WITH FIVE WHEELBARROWS OF PENNIES

On January 11, Nick Stafford of Cedar Bluff, Virginia, carted 1600 pounds of pennies into the Lebanon Department of Motor Vehicles to pay taxes on two of his vehicles. It was the end of a saga that began in September, when Stafford tried to find out which of his homes (which are located in two counties) he should use to register his son’s new car. When he tried to call his local DMV, he was routed to a larger call center—and so, to get the local number he wanted, he submitted a successful Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. Then he went one step further, filing three lawsuits to get the direct numbers for nine other local DMVs. “If they were going to inconvenience me then I was going to inconvenience them,” Stafford told The Herald Courier.

A judge ultimately dismissed the lawsuits when the state’s Attorney General physically handed Stafford the phone numbers in the courtroom. But Stafford still had to pay sales tax on his vehicles, and he got in one last dig at the DMV while doing so: First, he bought five new wheelbarrows. Then, he bought a bunch of rolls of pennies. He hired 11 people to help him unroll the pennies—300,000 in total—and drove them to the DMV, where he put them in the wheelbarrows and, with the help of people he had hired, rolled them in. (“I’m not used to lifting,” Stafford said. “These are heavy.”) The lawsuits, wheelbarrow, and hired help cost Stafford more than $1000 above the amount of the vehicle tax.

2. MOTORIST JAILED OVER KITTY LITTER

When he was pulled over in early December 2016, Ross Lebeau thought it was a routine traffic stop—but Houston sheriff’s deputies arrested him on drug charges. In his car, the officers had found a substance in a sock, which, when field tested, was positive for meth. A press release stated that Lebeau had been found with a half pound of meth in his vehicle; the release contained both Lebeau’s mugshot and a picture of the substance seized.

Lebeau spent three days in jail, but he was released when lab tests revealed that the substance was not meth after all—it was kitty litter! As WMC Action News 5 reported on January 7:

Lebeau said the substance was cat litter inside a sock.

His father left one in his car and gave the other to his sister for her car. It’s supposed to keep the windows from fogging up.

The problem was that two field tests done by deputies came back positive for meth.

The county’s forensic lab tested the substance as well, and no drugs were found. The case was then dismissed, but the damage was already done to Lebeau’s reputation. “People have been calling me a kingpin or drug lord,” Lebeau said, adding that he’s lost out on work because of the accusation. “I was wrongly accused, and I’m going to do everything in my power to clear my name.”

3. SWISS TOWN DENIES PASSPORT TO “ANNOYING” DUTCH VEGAN

Nancy Holten was born in the Netherlands, but she’s lived in Switzerland since she was a child. The outspoken vegan and animal rights activist has campaigned against the cowbells that local livestock wear, saying the tradition is animal abuse, and has complained about loud church bells, hunting, and pig races. Holten, who is seeking Swiss citizenship, as been denied twice. Local residents can approve or deny villagers’ requests, and they have deemed Holten too annoying. As Yahoo News UK reported on January 11:

“Tanja Suter, the president of the local Swiss People’s Party, claimed Ms Holten has a ‘big mouth’ and that residents did not want to grant her citizenship ‘if she annoys us and doesn’t respect our traditions.'”

Holten’s citizenship case has been transferred to the Cantonal (regional) government body, which can overturn the local decision.

4. MAN FOUND STUCK IN KITCHEN VENT

Gjyste (Julie) Margilaj heard a crashing sound in her first-floor Manhattan apartment kitchen just after midnight on January 10. “I freaked … out for a couple of minutes, and then I went over to the kitchen and I heard someone panting and breathing like they were in obvious pain. They were freaking out,” she told the New York Daily News. “I opened the kitchen vent so he could breathe.” The man, a new resident of the seven-story building, had been on the roof hanging with some friends when, according to the FDNY, he removed the cover of an exhaust fan and slid down into the ductwork. “The shaft was so small that his body took up the entire vent,” FDNY Chief Patrick Tansey told Pix 11 News. “So, using power tools was out of the question. We had to expose him by hand.” The man—who was wearing just his underwear—only had minor injuries after the ordeal. “He had told the occupant who called us something about a pool in the basement,” Tansey said, “but I don’t know.”

5. GOLFER RUN OVER BY TOILET

This week, Brian Berg filed a lawsuit over an incident that occurred last summer at Fox Run Golf Links in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. The golfer was enjoying a day on the green when he was run over by a portable toilet. An employee of the course was using a forklift to move the toilet but couldn’t see where he was going because the toilet obscured his vision. According to CBS Chicago,

“After he was knocked to the ground by the porta-potty’s “initial blow,” it did not stop, hitting him in the face and knocking him unconscious, the suit says. It injured his shoulder, cut his chin, cracked a rib, bruised a bicep and caused ‘a large, deep bruise to his leg.'”

Berg is asking $50,000 in damages from the Elk Grove Park District, which runs the golf course, and the forklift driver.

Why are black cats considered unlucky? They’re actually nice to have around.
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The 10 Worst Crimes Against the Original Star Wars Trilogy. George Lucas couldn’t resist messing with his masterpiece.  
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Three women are on the TV screen wearing the same color shirt! The off-air recording has them sounding like Mean Girls.  
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Warmer Oceans Increase Likelihood Of Toxic Shellfish, Study Finds. The culprit is plankton that produces domoic acid.
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Patriots Day, Deepwater Horizon, and the Political Implications of the ‘Docbuster.’ Mark Wahlberg’s action-docudramas are a little heavy-handed.
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The Real History of Slender Man. He should be more of a meme than an urban legend.
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The Late Movies: A Very Unlucky Friday the 13th Playlist. Or just some good music to listen to.

The world is teeming with life, and we’re always discovering new species—including some that stretch the limits of how we view and classify biological life forms. Here are a few that clearly don’t play by the rules.

1. BDELLOID ROTIFERS

 
Bdelloid rotifers are microscopic superstars inside a drop of water. These tiny transparent animals—which can be found all over the world (even Antarctica!)—are masters of survival and reproduction. When water becomes scarce, they dry up like brine shrimp, surviving for years completely desiccated. When water returns, they rehydrate themselves and continue on as good as new. Rotifers are all female and reproduce asexually, laying eggs that don’t need to be fertilized and are essentially clones of themselves. While they’re not the only animal that doesn’t need a member of the opposite sex to reproduce, they’re more successful than others: Bdelloid rotifers have evolved into 450 species. How can a creature evolve if it’s only producing clones? Random mutations would produce changes, but cannot explain the rotifers’ 80-million-year survival and successful speciation.

The secret to rotifers’ evolution is that they steal genes from other living things. DNA analysis of bdelloid rotifers shows that about 10 percent of their genes come from bacteria, fungi, and plants. How does that happen? It turns out that bdelloid rotifers are also masters at surviving ionizing radiation, which damages DNA. The creatures are able to repair their own DNA, but can incorporate new genes (from the surrounding environment or something they ate) in the repair process. Over time, the new genes are used to adapt to the environment, leading to the evolution of new rotifer species as well as incorporating the necessary genetic material to protect against parasites.

2. EUGLENA

 
Euglena is a genus that contains hundreds of species of single-cell organisms that are not plant nor animal nor bacteria, but have features of all three. Most species of Euglena are mixotrophs that power themselves based on environmental conditions. When sunlight is present, for example, Euglena will use it to make food by photosynthesis using chloroplasts, the genes for which may have been taken from engulfed alga sometime in Euglena‘s evolutionary history. When there is no sunlight, Euglena ingests surrounding substances like an animal to get energy. But what’s really amazing about Euglena is that its behavior can be useful to humans. A company in Japan is looking into using some species of Euglena for food and biofuel, and other species might be used to clean the environment as they eat pollutants.

3. TRICHOPLAX ADHAERENS

 
Among multicellular animals, the microscopic Trichoplax adhaerens is the master of minimalism. It’s so simple, in fact, that for decades it was assumed that it was only a larval stage of another animal. T. adhaerens is comprised of just four types of cells, and is basically two sheets of cells with some more cells in between. It has no organs and no discernible front or back, though it does have a distinct upper and lower side—the organism uses that lower side both to eat and to adhere to surfaces. It can move either by changing shape or by using tiny cilia on its outer layers. It’s perhaps not surprising T. adhaerens has an extremely simple genome, too, with 98 million base pairs, compared to over 3 billion for humans. They reproduce by splitting, by budding, or by sexual reproduction. Scientists don’t know exactly how they manage the sexual reproduction; organisms have been observed degenerating into eggs, but fertilization is still a mystery.

4. TARDIGRADES

Tardigrades, also called water bears or moss piglets, resemble eight-legged faceless bears, except they’re generally a half-millimeter long. Hundreds of species of these tiny animals are found in every kind of environment on earth, but they prefer to be among moss, algae, and lichen. While ocean-based tardigrades are pretty normal, land and fresh water tardigrades are famously hard to kill. If the environment is dry, they dry up too, and go into a dormant state that they emerge from when wet conditions return, even years later. They can survive boiling or freezing temperatures. They can survive in the vacuum of space and in high pressure conditions. They can survive radiation that would kill lesser animals.

In case you want a tardigrade of your own, the International Society of Tardigrade Hunters has instructions for collecting them. A low-power microscope should suffice for observation.

5. GEOGEMMA BAROSSII

 
A microbe of the Archaea domain, Geogemma barossii is a microbe that likes it hot. This hyperthermophile, sometimes referred to as Strain 121, grows optimally at 220°F, but does just fine at 250°F (or 121°C, hence the name). It doesn’t die until temperatures go over 266°F—one of the highest-known temperature tolerances of any living thing. The discovery of G. barossi’s heat tolerance in 2003 gave pause to medical specialists when they realized that their sterilization procedures would not kill this microbe. However, Strain 121 cannot grow in the range of a human’s body temperature, so it isn’t considered infectious. Its normal home is thermal vents in the ocean floor.

BONUS: GROMIA SPHAERICA

The size of a grape, Gromia sphaerica is too big to be a microbe—but this single-celled organism is too cool not to include. This ancient relative of the amoeba lives at the bottom of the ocean, and was first discovered in the Arabian Sea in 2000. Adult specimens can grow to be 1.5 inches in diameter, or as small .019 inches. While a single cell that big is pretty strange, the most remarkable thing about G. sphaerica is the trails they leave behind on the sea floor. They weren’t created by the organisms rolling downhill (they can actually move uphill), and they weren’t created by ocean currents. Somehow, these big cells moved on their own and are heavy enough to leave a trail behind them. That raises questions about fossil trails from the Precambrian that scientists assumed were left by multicellular animals, but may have been left before multicellular life arose.

Martha Matilda Harper, the Greatest Businesswoman You’ve Never Heard Of. She invented the beauty salon, the franchise, and the shampoo sink.
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A weird Japanese game show humorously recreates Street Fighter II. With real guys, sound effects, and all.
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The First Super Bowl. It was 50 years ago this weekend.
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Facebook is working on a way to read brain waves that could let you send your thoughts to people. Even if we can do it someday, who would want to?
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Walt Disney explains his studio’s multiplane camera technology in 1957. It had been in use for 20 years, but still impressed viewers as the wave of the future.
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Are the Marx Brothers Still Funny? Yes, and on Blu-Ray they look better than ever.
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How the World’s Smallest Birds Survive the Winter. Hummingbirds adapt to the conditions around them.  
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The myth of America’s invincible military. Reputation does not always equal reality.

Metropolis at 90: The Enduring Legacy of a Pop Modernist Dystopia. Fritz Lang’s 1927 science fiction epic is more popular now than it’s ever been.
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‘Comfort Women’: The Past and Present of Japan’s Forced WWII Prostitutes. It’s still a sore subject officials would rather not confront.  
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La La Land Tops An Unusual Batch of BAFTA Nominees. The British Academy of Film and Television Arts award winners will be announced February 12.
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Have you ever seen an owl without its feathers? You’d never recognize it, unlike these hairless animals.
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Astronaut Shares Breathtaking Photo Of The Rocky Mountains From Space. The peaks are peeking through the clouds.
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Jesuits, the World’s First Diplomats. They negotiated with the power of the Catholic Church, and Latin.
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Pampered pets: The cushy lives of Sunny and Bo Obama. The only job better than being a beloved family pet is to be a beloved family pet in the White House.
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16 Fun Facts About The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Douglas Adams’ magnum opus is a treasure trove of trivia.
 

Think there’s nothing to do in the dead of winter? You might be surprised by how many towns go out of their way to celebrate icy weather and snow. Plus, there are few better ways to warm up than to play outdoor sports, sample regional winter cuisines, and hang out with friends old and new. Here are 12 places where you can do just that.

1. FIRE + ICE FEST // READING, PENNSYLVANIA

Reading, Pennsylvania, invites you to the 2017 Fire + Ice Fest, happening January 13 and 14, 2017. Fire will be represented with performances by Madeleine Belle and Allentown’s Burning Hearts Fire & Light Theater. Professional ice sculptures will be on display throughout the event, which could serve as inspiration for the festival’s ice carving competition. There’s also a pancake breakfast, a chili cook-off, a Snowfall Ball, and live music. The full schedule of events can be found here.

2. BAVARIAN ICEFEST // LEAVENWORTH, WASHINGTON

The Bavarian Icefest takes place in Leavenworth, Washington, January 14 – 15, 2017. Events include dogsled rides, the “ice cube scramble” for kids, snow sculptures, ice carving, ice fishing, a snowball toss, a snowmobile sled pull, and “smooshing” (a sport in which teams of four people ski together on one set of skis).

3. ICEBOX DAYS // INTERNATIONAL FALLS, MINNESOTA

International Falls, Minnesota, celebrates its reputation as the coldest town in the 48 contiguous states with Icebox Days, a winter festival running January 18 – 22, 2017. The marquee event is the annual Freeze Yer Gizzard Blizzard Run, which features both 5K and 10K runs—no matter what the temperature is. Don’t miss the other events: the moonlight snowshoe hike, the toilet seat toss, frozen turkey bowling, redneck trivia, donkey basketball, and plenty of food.

4. OURAY ICE FESTIVAL // OURAY, COLORADO

This year’s annual Ouray Ice Festival happens January 19 – 22, 2017 at Ouray Ice Park in Ouray, Colorado. The public park has 200 climbing routes made of ice and mixed ice and rock, making it a popular destination for ice climbers. The festival is a celebration of ice climbing, and a fundraiser for the nonprofit park. Events will include climbing clinics and competitions, demonstrations, an outdoor gear expo, and plenty of beer.

5. HUNTER ICE FESTIVAL // NILES, MICHIGAN

The Hunter Ice Festival in Niles, Michigan is named after The Hunter Brothers Ice and Ice Cream Company, which established ice harvesting as the town’s big industry around the turn of the 20th century. The festival, which takes place January 20 – 22, 2017, centers around ice sculptures, and the best artists in the craft are invited to Niles to show off their stuff. There will also be races, an Ice Ball, and a chili cook-off. Check out this year’s full schedule of events at Facebook.

6. FIRE & ICE FESTIVAL // ROCHESTER, MICHIGAN

This year’s Fire & Ice Festival in Rochester, Michigan, will take place January 20 – 22, 2017. The fire is provided by fireworks at night; the ice events include tube sledding, snow shoeing, cross country skiing, dogsled rides, ice skating, a broom ball exhibition, and ice sculptures. Bring your ice skates for free skating all weekend! Keep up with this year’s festival at the Facebook event page.

7. ICEFEST // CHAMBERSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA

Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, presents the 15th annual IceFest January 26 – 29, 2017. The festival features a 40-foot ice slide, a snowball fight, and a “Polar Dunk Plunge.” There’s also nighttime dancing and dining events for those who like to stay warm, a movie night, a chili cook-off, and a cake icing competition. The premier draw will be the professional ice sculptures and ice carving demonstrations. Find out more at the festival’s Facebook page.

8. SAINT PAUL WINTER CARNIVAL // SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA

This year’s Saint Paul Winter Carnival will run from January 26 to February 5 in St. Paul, Minnesota, and will kick off the Carnival season in style. The huge festival boasts three parades, plus the Beer Dabbler (featuring craft beer from more than 120 breweries), the junior royalty coronation, a cat show, ice sculptures, and the usual races, parties, live entertainment, and food. Stay current with the festival’s plans on Facebook.

9. ELY WINTER FESTIVAL // ELY, MINNESOTA

The Ely Winter Festival in Ely, Minnesota—which will run February 2 – 12, 2017—will kick off with an amateur snow carving contest, and later lead to the Ely Art Walk, an ice fishing tournament, snowshoe hikes, dogsledding, and a beard competition. Plus: Don’t miss the ice bar! The schedule of events is here.

10. CRIPPLE CREEK ICE FESTIVAL // CRIPPLE CREEK, COLORADO

The Cripple Creek Ice Festival will run February 11 – 19, 2017 in Cripple Creek, Colorado. The theme for this year’s celebration is “Safari in Ice.” The town will be filled with ice sculptures, including a slide, a maze, and an ice bar. Plus, the beloved “liquor luge” will make a triumphant return. Check out the website for a full lineup of events.

11. MICHIGAN ICE FEST // MUNISING, MICHIGAN

The Michigan Ice Fest in Munising, Michigan, is a festival centered around ice climbing. This year’s event will be held from February 15 – 19, 2017. There will be clinics and classes in the various levels of climbing, including rescue techniques, plus demonstrations and social climbs.

12. NEWPORT WINTER FESTIVAL // NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND

The 29th annual Newport Winter Festival will take place February 17 – 26, 2017 in Newport, Rhode Island. This festival celebrates the cold and puts a tropical spin on winter at the same time. Outdoor events will include the polar bear plunge and beach polo, plus “Polar Pineapples,” where you can sip seasonal cocktails in an ice sculpture garden. There will be both a tropical drink contest and a best hot drink contest, a chili cook-off, and live entertainment. The schedule of events is growing by the day, so click here to find out more.