Hundreds of people gathered in West Hartford’s Blue Back Square on Sunday afternoon to celebrate Chanukah publicly with an 8-foot ice menorah, live music, and a fire show.

By Joy Taylor. Photos by Barbara Ricketts and Joy Taylor

“Fire on Ice,” the largest community-wide Chanukah celebration in West Hartford, was presented by Chabad of Greater Hartford, and marked the sixth night of Chanukah.

A giant ice menorah was carved and assembled on the gazebo in Blue Back Square, and crowds gathered all around for the lighting ceremony. The upbeat and festive event included a giant dreidel LEGO workshop, raffle prizes, face painting, and performances by the Chabad Hebrew School and the Hebrew Academy Children’s Choir before the menorah lighting by Anti-Defamation League of Hartford County Chair Gary Greenberg.

While all eyes were on the stage, the “fire” continued with a lively flame-twirling show by Pyro Productions, which brought lots of “ooh’s” and “ahhhh’s” from the crowd.

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