Can you believe this is the first of March?  As promised, our Joe's Pond Ice-Out pay-on-line tickets are available starting today.  Fred worked industriously this past week, getting everything set up so your transactions are secure and we get your ticket picks instantaneously, saving lots of time and making it easy for folks who aren't close by and able to stop in at one of the outlets for regular tickets to get in the game.  Printable on-line tickets have been available for several years, but last year we were able to let you pay using PayPal or a major credit card, and lots of folks really like the efficiency of doing that. 

Now all we need is some warm weather to start the melting process.  The chart at the right shows the dates the ice went out in past years, and there does seem to be a warming trend; but this year could be different.  Someone said recently it might be July before the ice goes out, but we all know the weather can turn on us quickly, and a few days of above freezing temperatures and a little rain would be all we'd need to get  spring actually happening.  Once the weather warms up a bit, Larry Rossi will get the flag and pallet out on the ice.    We'll let you know when.  There is still lots of traffic on the ice - snow machines, cars and trucks, and we want to wait for that traffic to cease before we put the pallet out.  The State of Vermont says shanties must be off the ice before the ice becomes too soft to be safe - or by the last Sunday in March, which this year is March 30th.  Sometimes winter has held its grip well beyond the end of March, but we've also had at least two real nail-biters when it looked like the ice might go out before the contest officially ends on April 1st.  With the intense cold we've had this year, it looks like there shouldn't be any surprises; but you never know.

So go to the Pay On-Line Ice-Out Contest page  and send in your ten best guesses; or use the printable tickets if you want fewer than ten chances.  Complete instructions are on the page, but if you have questions, contact us.  We will have regular updates of ice conditions a little later - right now about all we can tell you is that we're still very much in "winter mode" with at least two feet of ice, and about the same amount of snow on the ground.  It's encouraging to know that the meteorological "spring" started today; and hopefully, by March 20, when the astronomical "spring" arrives, we'll actually be able to feel it.  Or it may take a little longer here at Joe's Pond . . .