On Wednesday, March 30, from 5PM-7PM behind Reamer Campus Center, the annual Fire & Ice was held. More than a few hundred students attended and formed long lines for food and drinks provided by Union College Dining, including barbecue, kettle corn, potatoes with cheese and toppings, sushi, stir fry, stromboli, assorted other desserts including brownies and a chocolate fountain, and apple cider. Fire was present primarily from lit torches lining the event space, and ice sculptures of Nott Memorial, a snowflake, and more were displayed on the more central food tables. Ice, as in shaved ice, was additionally present at a Kona Shaved Ice truck parked at the edge of the event. 

A band outside the F.W. Olin Center played throughout the event, starting with Camila Cabello’s Havana and Pitbull’s Fireball, then playing songs including The B-52s’s Love Shack, a mashup of Old Crow Medicine Show’s Wagon Wheel and John Denver’s Take Me Home, Country Roads, and later songs including AC/DC’s Highway to Hell and Nicki Minaj’s Starships.

Union College President David Harris was spotted at Fire & Ice; having had apple cider, he was looking forward to barbecue, popcorn and stir fry. Though, he said, he was monitoring his eating due to later plans for dinner with family. He said it was “great to see everyone” out and about at the event.

Waiting in a group halfway to the barbecue table was Christian Rufo ‘23, who had also been to last year’s Fire & Ice. Rufo, while not looking forward to any food item in the barbecue section in particular, was anticipating trying the spread in general. Jeremy Schmelkin ‘24 praised the “really good[…] variety of food” and “ambience” of the event, and was looking forward to a chocolate-covered pretzel at the end of the line.

Fire in an even more spectacular sense was provided by Ravenbane’s FireCraft, performing at Union for their fifth time. Amber and Shane Ravenbane showed off an assortment of fire-related tricks, including fire eating, fire breathing, twirling fire fans, and showing off a fire whip for the finale. Their work requires “hours and hours of safety training”, said Shane.