The Ice Out at Joe's Pond..what it's all about

Well, you might well ask! It's as you see it, a cement block that is sitting on a wooden pallet in the middle of Joe's Pond, just outside the little town of Danville, in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom.

 

Last year's official ice out: 2009 April 20th, 10:21pm

 

Boondoggle at Joe' s Pond last year

The Ice was "Out," but the Block remained atop the ice!

2009's Ice Out came very unexpectedly, when a strong wind pushed the lake ice north at Joe's Pond. The movement of the ice broke the connection to Homer Fitt's clock.

Under the rules of the Joe's Pond Association, the ice out occurs when the connection to the clock is broken and not necessarily because the 65 pound concrete block has fallen through the ice.

It was hilarious. The block and the red ice out flag could still be seen on the lake the next day! According to Homer, this is the first time this has happened.

 

For many years, people have been placing wagers on when the time and date that the cement block falls through the ice. You can place such a wager here on Scenes of Vermont. You DON'T have to pay anything to enter. Just enter the time, date, your name and e-mail address. The prize is a pair of balloon rides from Balloons over New England. You'll likely fly from Quechee sometime during the springh or fall.

How to Enter the Contest

All that you have to do is to enter a bet on the exact day and time that the ice on the pond melts in the spring sufficiently to sink the 40-pound concrete block. The block is attached to a rope which, when the block falls through the ice, pulls an electrical cord out of a plug on the shore. The cord is connected to an electric clock which stops when its power is cut.

Click here to enter the competition!

Here are some dates and times for ice out from previous years:

2000 April 30th, 6:19 am.
2001 May 4th, 1.44 am
2002 April 18th, 4:18 pm
2003 April 28th, 9:45 pm
2004 April 21st, 3:25 pm
2005 April 21st, 2:50 pm
2006 April 16th, 3:20 PM
2007 May 1st, 4.45 pm
2008 April 25th, 5:25pm
2009 April 20th, 10:21pm *

(these records are published by the Joe's Pond Association)

Click here to enter the competition!

 *