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How the Grinch Stole Christmas... in Ice!


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Shortly before Thanksgiving, I saw an ad in The Washington Post for the Gaylord National Resort's 2010 ice sculpture exhibit featuring "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and immediately decided I was going to see it. I told my family I had a surprise for them and made them save the date. And then... my stepdaughter-to-be got sick, so I ended up going alone and eating $50 worth of tickets (which was better than the full $90 I would have lost had I not gone at all).

 

The good news is, the show was amazing, and I have the photos to prove it! Read on....

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See that green inflatable dome thingy? That's where the exhibit takes place. Let's go!

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"Nobody gets in to see 'Ice' without paying $30, not no way, not no how" Incidentally, parking was an additional $10.

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And I don't mean Vanilla!

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OK, OK, we get it already! Sheesh!

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It's funny because it sounds like "Maryland."

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But I thought he lived at Universal Studios....

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Can you guess what this tree is made of?

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If you said marshmallow Peeps, you're right! If you said anything else, you made the Peeps sad.

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The "Ice" show was just one part of a whole "Christmas on the Potomac" program the resort had going on. Indoor ice skating was a nice touch.

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These carolers were a lot of fun. Their 15-minute show (free!) helped pass the time while I waited for my timed-entry ticket to activate.

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"I am the great and powerful Grinch! And it's time for you to see me made from ice!"

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The cue for the exhibit wound through two secondary displays beginning with "The Art of Dr. Seuss." It's a portable exhibit, and I actually first saw it several years ago during a Dr. Seuss event in Ocean City, MD, but it was still fun. I especially enjoyed the background items, like this rough from "The Cat in the Hat."

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I love this poem! I specifically sought it out this time so I could take a picture of it.

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Apparently it made this fellow a little horny! Fun fact: In addition to illustrating everything from advertisements and propaganda posters to children's books, Dr. Suess also was an abstract painter and sculptor.

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The second "secondary" exhibit basically consisted of a few signs with information on the team that designed the ice sculptures, along with video interviews and demonstrations. It was interesting, but not photogenic, so I took the liberty of skipping ahead, photo-wise, to the parka pickup.

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Why parkas? Because the tent housing the ice exhibit maintained a constant temperature of just 9 degrees Fahrenheit!

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Hmm... this looks somehow familiar.

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"Ice: How the Grinch Stole Christmas" is brought to you by cold, refreshing Coca-Cola, proud sponsor of the Bryan and Adam Show!

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"What ville?"

"Who-ville."

"He's on first."

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Just watch out for the yellow Who-houses....

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The Whos are getting ready for their three traditional winter holidays: Who-Christmas, Who-Hanukkah and Who-Kwanzaa.

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But the Grinch says, "Who-cares?"

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"Look deep into my yellow eyes...."

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I'm calling the Who-SPCA!

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Guess he already blew down the ones made of straw and sticks. By the way, check out the massive line behind him for the ice slides!

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FYI, the earliest "roller coasters" were 17th century Russian ice slides. Look it up!

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"Forget about the slides! There's Who-hash to be had!"

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"Ta-ta for now, dahlings!"

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Oh noes! Turns out the Whos don't care about material goods. Oh well. More for the Grinch!

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Ah crap! He went soft on us!

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Had this been a real dog, that Santa hat would have been in about 30,000 pieces by now.

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Roast beast is people!

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Rumor has it Cindy Lou Who is quitting the exhibit to audition for "Glee."

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But wait, there's more! In a bonus room, the carvers sculpted a full Nativity scene from clear ice.

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It's just like the plastic version from Walmart... only different.

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You've heard of the herald angels? This is one is 12 feet tall and made from ice!

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Across the parking lot, the resort building itself also had some Christmas attractions. Let's take a look, shall we?

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The synchronized music, fountain and light show in the main atrium was pretty awesome! It was like World of Color East!

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It's a little difficult to make out in this shot, but they had a little train running beneath the giant Christmas tree that kids could ride at $2 a pop (three rides for $5).

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The hotel has a year-round tribute to Dr. Suess, with a series of bronze statues representing his characters scattered throughout the first floor. I'm not exactly sure why, but at least they were kind of neat.

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It was impossible to photograph, but along this avenue of trees, the resort also sprayed Disneyland-style "snow" a couple times in the evening. The crowd really went nuts over it--which is ironic when you consider this was the area that got 4 to 6 feet of the real stuff during last winter's "snowmageddon."

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And, of course, the hotel lobby was decked out, as well.

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That's it! Hope you enjoyed!

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Merry Merry, everyone!

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