We got a taste of real March weather today.  We awoke to snow (I measured 3.5 inches new snow at 9 a.m.) and for the whole day it was snowy and blustery, but at around 20 degrees for most of the day, it was not all that unpleasant, and even the roads were pretty good.  It was warm enough so the salt was working the way it's supposed to on the main roads, and our back roads were fine - a bit slippery for anyone going too darned fast, but there was also some sand showing through the fluffy white snow, so most folks didn't have any problem.  I didn't have the scanner going today, so can't say if there were problems on the roads but I went to Danville a little after noon and traffic was doing just fine.

People are using the pay-on-line Ice-Out tickets - we've had several just since Fred activated the page on Sunday.  Some out of state.  It opens up the contest for lots of people who would normally find it hard to get tickets.  We do mail tickets to people frequently, but it's a lot easier for them to just do it on line.  That's the way most business is conducted these days, I guess.  We'll probably always have the regular tickets available, though.  I can't imagine the Joe's Pond Ice-Out Contest any other way.

Today Dot Larrabee and I put together a display board for the Danville town meeting tomorrow, showing our progress on the history of West Danville.  We have had some new pictures donated recently, and as we progress, things begin to come together.  For instance, in our Cabot Historical Society collection, there's this

photo of Cabot folks at a picnic at Joe's Pond.  I had tried to place where they might have been, thinking of course it was somewhere on the west shore of the pond, but I couldn't think of a single place that might have looked like that area before cottages were built.  Finally, while working on the West Danville project, it dawned on me that they were on the east side of the pond, at Lakeside Park - probably came by horse and buggy through Walden, or over the Plain - a fairly long trip, but they came for the day, and that made it worth their time, I suppose.  Most of the people in the above picture are identified, so we know for sure  they are Cabot folks.  This was a small group compared to some of the gatherings.  In the St. Johnsbury Caledonian it was reported in the late 1800's that 300-500 people would come to Lakeside Park events.  When Mr. Flint owned the property, he advertised at one point that he had 100 lake shore lots for sale.  I'm thinking he must have owned not only the land where the Joe's Pond Association pavilion is now, but a great deal of the land by Cove Road and North Shore Road.  We'll look into that, of course, and try to figure out exactly what made up Lakeside Park.  All in good time - it will all come together.