Ice out deadline is Friday

RIVER VALLEY -- The deadline for your entry is this Friday for a chance to win a prize package in the fifth annual Rumford Falls Times' Ice Out Contest.

Just bring your canned good(s), non-perishable food item(s) or pet food along with your ice out entry with the time and date of when you think the ice will go out of Roxbury Pond to the Times' office at 69 Congress St. in Rumford.

Readers donated more than five containers of food items and pet food last year, which were given to a local food pantry and to McKennel's Animal Shelter, respectively.

Simply fill out the ice out entry form provided in this paper. All entries must be received by noon on Friday, March 25 to be eligible. A random drawing will determine the winner in the event that more than one correct guess is received.

The prize package from our sponsors include gift certificates to Mexico One Stop, an oil change and tire rotation at Dan's Automotive, a one-year subscription to an outdoor magazine called the Northwood's Journal, and a three-month subscription to the Rumford Falls Times.

Dennis Daniel, owner of Ellis Pond Variety, also has his own ice out contest underway at his store in Roxbury, with each chance being for $1 to guess the time and date when the ice out occurs. Chances will be accepted there through March 31, with whoever is closest winning half the money collected in the pool.

Daniel said Monday that while last week's warm temperatures hit the ice hard, there's still a couple feet of ice on the pond. Over the weekend, people were still drilling holes for fishing and five ice shacks remaining there.

"It's going to be awhile. Not like last year," he noted.

Records of the ice out at Roxbury Pond have been kept at least since 1978, noted Daniel. He said the average ice out has been between April 16-21, which fell in line with last year's ice out of April 19, correctly guessed by Gary Meisner of East Andover.

Daniel said the earliest recorded ice out was April 6 on 2006-07. The latest was May 8 in 1978.

He noted that to alleviate any controversy that might arise from such a contest, they have a Game Warden involved to determine the actual ice out.