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Midway Ice Castles closed until further notice due to warm weather

Posted at 5:58 PM, Feb 04, 2018
and last updated 2018-02-04 19:58:59-05

MIDWAY, Utah – The Midway Ice Castles attraction is closed until further notice.

“It’s really a temporary shutdown in hopes for another cold spell to come in to Utah and bring some cold air and some cold weather,” said Jesse Stone, the site manager of the ice castles.

The attraction closed after Saturday. Unseasonably warm temperatures are causing the ice to melt, making the structure unsafe for visitors.

“Our number one priority is safety,” Stone said. “We want people to be safe. This is a castle made entirely of ice. There is no internal frame or structure.”

Families visiting on Sunday were turned away, disappointed.

“It’s too hot,” said Nate Halverson.  “It’s 55 degrees and sunny. It feels like springtime.”

If the weather changes and temperatures return back to normal, the castles will re-open.  Until then, he asks guests to stay away and resist the temptation to jump the fence.

“Mother Nature comes in, brings warm weather, she can beat up the ice pretty well,” Stone said.  “If [the cold] does come in like it can in Utah, we’ll definitely try to rebuild and open it back up.”

Stone tells FOX 13, he has alerted authorities to be on the lookout for trespassers sneaking in despite the attraction being closed.