The Block & Flag Are Out!

 Well, it's that time of year again - time for Ice-Out contestants to get serious. Some years the weather has been so miserably cold the flag didn't get put out until the first week in April, and that has puzzled some folks. Since entries in the contest need to be in on April 1st, it only seems fitting the flag should be up before then; but when it's bitterly cold and windy, with lots of ice yet to melt, organizers know nothing is going to happen quickly, thus the delay in getting the flag out and the clock set up some years. 

This year is different. We haven't had the bitterly cold weather that kept the temperature near zero for days on end. Instead, we've had wild swings of temperatures well above freezing in the 40s and sometimes 50s, and then a few near zero nights and days in the teens or 20s - but we also haven't had a lot of snow. Crazy weather like this year has made the ice both less dense and less strong. We've been fortunate here at Joe's Pond that nobody has gone through the ice, but on other lakes there have been several accidents, the most resent at Lake Memphremagog last seek when two adults and two children went through.

So with really mushy conditions, the committee wanted to get the Ice-Out gear onto the ice sooner than usual. The flag was put out today, and our Ice-Out  publicist Michelle Walker said it has a new pallet this year - the old one was badly beaten up by the ice last year. People who may still be using snow machines need to watch out for the flags that mark the lines that run from the pallet and flag to the clock on shore. Please do not go too close - and never go between the flag and shoreline. We don't want that line to get damaged or anyone to get tangled in it. It is well marked, as you can see. (Photo by Gretchen Farnsworth.)

Michelle said media coverage included WCAX-TV and a reporter from the Caledonian Record. WCAX will run the story on tonight's news, probably the 6 o'clock edition. Probably the article will be in the newspaper tomorrow or Friday. The reporter was covering other aspects of the contest, not just the flag getting put out, so that may not come together for a day or so, depending on who he is able to reach. He was hoping to get an interview at Waterford School where every student and employee gets a chance to win the contest for the benefit of their school. This is the second year Waterford School has entered our contest.

The Joe's Pond Ice-Out Contest closes on April 1, 2024 at midnight. If you want to be part of this fun guessing game, you will find on-line tickets available on the Joe's Pond Association website. There are still tickets available at Marty's 1st Stop in Danville, Hastings Store in West Danville, and several other outlets that are listed on the website. Just be sure you have your entries in by midnight, April 1.

I found this graph showing the trend we've noted over the years of our Ice-Out Contest. Statistics for all the years are on the JPA web site, if you are interested, but this give you a good idea of what is happening.

Today is like spring. The thermometer may have been as high as 50 degrees - I didn't keep close watch - and last night the low was 37F. When I was out to get the mail around noon, there was a real feeling of spring in the air. The birds have been busy cleaning up seeds and bits of leftover fruit under trees, and there is a fair amount of bare ground in spots. We still have 8-10 inches of snow on the ground in most places here at Joe's Pond, but in Danville, Marshfield, St. Johnsbury and beyond, there is hardly any snow left. Just a few remnants of banks left by plows, or when the sun doesn't hit in hollows, etc. One March storm could change that in a big way, of course. There is water on top of the ice on my backyard pond, and  we've had a misty rain from time to time today. Lots of melting going on everywhere. Spring is certainly in the air - for the moment!

Have an interesting Leap Day tomorrow . . . !