DANVILLE, Vt. (WCAX) – It was a slushy slog to get it there, but the cement block is now set for the annual Joe’s Pond Ice Out contest, and this year’s topsy-turvy temperatures could leave participants scratching their heads.
People can now place their bets on when the block is going to fall through the ice on Joe’s Pond.
“I think it’s going to be early this year,” said Larry Rossi. The West Danville man has been in charge of hauling the cement block and setting it up on the ice for 16 years now and says he has never seen it look like this “It’s only the end of February. So, it’s going to get cold again as we all know. I think this is just… I don’t know what this weather is.”
The Northeast Kingdom contest has been going on since the 1980s. Records have been kept since 1988 and the earliest the block has fallen in was April 5th in 2010.
Area residents like Carolyn Wilson aren’t sure what date to put their money on yet. “I am not a good guesser. I mean the weather has been so weird this year. I think by April,” she said.
It’s a game of chance. Predict the date and time the block falls through and win big.
“People will go into a store that has a sign on it — Ice Out tickets for sale. They may take 10 tickets and bring them home and figure out what they think is a good guess,” said Michelle Walker. She has been living on the pond since she was a little girl and has been helping the Joe’s Pond Association put the event together for the last seven years. So far, she says tickets are going fast. “It got to be a very big deal because a lot of other lakes around the country had started doing it. But none were as big as ours, and I can say that proudly.”
The association is hoping to exceed their $14,000 in ticket sales last year. Proceeds from the $1 tickets are split 50/50 between the winner(s) and the association, which uses the money for the annual fireworks display, water quality initiatives, and other programs.