WEST DANVILLE, Vt. (WCAX) – According to Joe’s Pond, spring is here! The block fell through the ice at Joe’s Pond at 8:41 p.m. on Thursday.
For some, the start of spring is when the frogs start peeping or the flowers are in bloom. But at Joe’s Pond, one of the sure signs of the changing seasons is the annual Ice Out.
“My Crocuses are up. We have wood frogs in our pond,” said Sue Erisman, a Danville resident who walks her dog by Joe’s Pond almost every day. “I can always tell when the ice is going to go out, but I did not get a ticket this year.”
The ticket buys a guess for what time a brick will fall through the middle of the pond, stopping a clock on shore. It’s a 50/50 raffle sponsored by the Joe’s Pond Association that’s in its 38th year. “It only costs a dollar to do a guess. We’ve had a lot of people say, ‘Oh, you ought to charge more.’ But most everybody can afford a dollar,” said the association’s Michelle Walker.
Officials say 16,749 Ice Out tickets were sold this year, a new record. The winner, who will be announced at a later date, will receive a check for $7,835.
“I didn’t buy any tickets because I was too busy selling them,” said Jenny Rafuse, who works across Route 2 at Hastings Store. She says Ice Out at the store means it’s time to get the ice cream back in stock. “It is very nostalgic, and you can see it, it’s tangible. It’s not like the Megabucks or the Powerball.”
The annual competition puts the little pond in a big spotlight, and the added attention is welcomed by a community that relies on tourists. The Lamoille Valley Rail Trail runs right next to the pond, but a couple of sections to the east remain closed due to last year’s flooding.
“We definitely noticed when the section was closed. There were fewer end-to-end people,” said Erisman. A detour gets bikers around this damaged section, and reconstruction work will be resuming soon. Good news for locals like Erisman, who have another reason to celebrate. “The ice is out, yay!”
Most of the association’s share of the prize money will go towards water quality efforts, which will help attract more swimmers, boaters, and tourists from across the region.
This was the 38th year of the annual Ice Out contest sponsored by the Joe’s Pond Association, where participants buy a ticket to guess what date and time the block will fall through the ice.
All previous records for ticket sales were broken this year, with 16,749 tickets sold at $1 each.
The winner, who will receive a check for $7,835, will be announced at a later date. If there is a tie, the proceeds will be divided.
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