Find things to do indoors and out, with 2022 Freezefest, a cantata and comedy

Connie Shakalis
·4 min read

January means playing with ice in the out-of-doors, but it also means coming inside for some zoology, J.S. Bach or an Emmy-nominated comedian.

Cool things to see and do at Freezefest

Bloomington's only winter festival, Freezefest, is Thursday-Saturday. The 2022 edition of the frost-loving frolic features ice sculptures, live carving demonstrations by internationally recognized ice sculptors, a live ice carving battle at Upland Brewing Co. and more, as one meanders through downtown.

Interactive ice games and activities are 11 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday in the Trades District at Madison Street, while more kids' activities can be found at the Monroe County Public Library noon-4 p.m. Saturday.

From 7:30 to 9 p.m. Friday at Upland Brewing Co., carvers will create their frozen masterpieces as onlookers guess which carver will finish first and what the ice blocks will become. Metered street parking is on 11th, Rogers and Morton streets, plus in the Morton Street Parking Garage.

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Saturday activities include ice carving demonstrations from noon to 3 p.m. at The Mill, Trades District, B-Line Trail at Fourth Street, Monroe County Public Library Plaza and Switchyard Park

For the (very) full schedule, go to visitbloomington.com/freezefest/.

Winter Palooza, our winter wonderland

Winter-themed games, activities and a photo booth await participants during Winter Palooza, a Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department event, 2-5:30 p.m. Saturday at the Switchyard Park Pavilion, 1601 S. Rogers St. Admission is $5 per person or $20 per family.

J.S. Bach cantata plus a new resource

The Bloomington Bach Cantata Project performs Johann Sebastian Bach's Erwünschtes Freudenlicht BWV 184, directed by Miranda Zirnbauer, 2:30-4 p.m. Sunday at St. Thomas Lutheran Church, 3800 E. Third St. The performance is free.

The Bloomington Bach Cantata Project brings together professional artists, faculty and students from around the region to present cantatas by J.S. Bach in performances modeled on his own.

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Erwünschtes Freudenlicht, BWV 184, is a cantata for the Lutheran church service. Bach composed it in Leipzig for the third day of Pentecost and first performed it in 1724.

In addition, there is a new freely available resource for Bach's vocal works, BachCantataTexts.org. Michael Marissen (Swarthmore College, emeritus) and Daniel R. Melamed (Indiana University and Bach Cantata Project) have annotated historically informed English translations of J.S. Bach's vocal works for use by performers, listeners, instructors and scholars.

WonderLab
WonderLab

Zoology at WonderLab

In January, WonderLab, Bloomington's museum of science, health and technology, is hosting weekend STEM activities. Learn about zoology and engineering design 3-4 p.m. Saturdays, at WonderLab. Masks are required, and distancing will be enforced. It's free with museum admission at 308 W. Fourth St., 812-337-1337.

Practice science, technology, engineering and math skills such as defining a problem and solving it, determining cause and effect, and working with others. STEM Saturdays engage the entire group and encourage communication across ages and skills.

Laurie Kilmartin
Laurie Kilmartin

'Conan' comedian Kilmartin at Comedy Attic

Emmy-nominated writer Laurie Kilmartin worked on staff for the entire decade of "Conan" (O'Brien) on TBS, and has performed standup there, on "The Late Late Show with James Corden" and on Comedy Central. She was a Top 10 finalist on Season 9 of "Last Comic Standing" and appeared three times on "WTF with Marc Maron."

Her first book, "Sh---- Mom," made The New York Times bestseller list, and her Seeso (RIP) special, "45 Jokes About My Dead Dad," was named Vulture 's Top Ten Comedy Specials of 2016. Last October her album "Corset" was released.

She's coming to the Comedy Attic, 123 S. Walnut St., for four shows, 7 and 9:15 p.m. Friday and Saturday. For tickets, go to www.comedyattic.com/events. Phone is 812-336-5233.

Kilmartin asks that all attendees show proof of vaccination (original card, photocopy of front and back of the card or proof of vaccination on your phone) or a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours before showtime.

Cult classic film postponed

A showing of the under-seen cult classic movie "Radio On," originally scheduled for Saturday, has been postponed until 7 p.m. Feb. 5 at the FAR Center for Contemporary Arts, 505 W. Fourth St. It is part of the Cicada Underground series. Tickets are $8. (Unrated)

"Radio On," is a 1979 British road adventure in black and white, with music from new wave bands of the era. It features artists such as Kraftwerk, Devo and David Bowie and takes the viewer into late 1970s Britain.

This story has been updated to indicate the WonderLab event will be indoors.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Things to do indoors and out with Freezefest, a cantata and more