Today has been a bit frenzied for both Diane and me.  We had all sorts of loose ends to finish up.  Last night we got in touch with mostly media outlets with the very preliminary information that the clock had stopped at 6:14 p.m. yesterday, April 29th.  Most  of the outlets that sell tickets for us were closed, so those calls had to wait until this morning.  The news spread very quickly and today we have been answering calls and e-mails from ticket holders wondering if they might be holding a winning ticket. There have been rumors flying, even names of local people who are winners circulating, but none of this is fact.

Diane even had an interview with News 7 TV at Lyndon State College this morning.  The interview will be on their 5 o'clock newscast.  Click on the above link and check it out.

Here's what we know at this moment:  We have one winner who guessed the exact date and time.  There were guesses as close as one minute either side of the 6:14 p.m. time, but only one out of the over 15,000 guesses was right on.  This is not unusual.  Over the years we have had as many as four people guess the exact date and time, and even last year there were two winners. On the other hand, there have been plenty of times when the winner had the closest time - off usually by only a few minutes one way or the other.

We now know that the potential winner lives in Connecticut, but there was no answer when we called this morning, so until we have contacted the person and verified the ticket, we will not release any more information than that.  Once verification has been accomplished, there will be at least a two-week waiting period before any funds are transferred.  This is so we have time to hear and examine any claims from other ticket holders who believe they may be a winner.  Once the two-week period is over (mid-May, depending on when we establish contact with the presumed winner) the waiting period is closed.  The funds will then be transferred to the now verified winner. 

We have a huge responsibility to all those who enter the Joe's Pond Ice-Out Contest to be certain no mistakes are made, and that is why these guidelines are in place. It is important to consider all possibilities as errors can be made when dealing with thousands of tickets.

We will keep you informed as soon as we have more information.  Watch for announcements here and on home page on the website.