Joe's Pond 38th Annual Ice Out

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Created on Friday, 02 May 2025 13:59

Written by Paige Lenahan

The Joe's Pond Ice Out Committee held their 38th annual Ice Out, selling more tickets than ever.

Each year, participants from all over the country purchase tickets for the Joe's Pond Ice Out. This year, Joe's Pond committee soild over 17 thousand tickets, which is a major increase in sales from prior years. These tickets are used to submit guesses on the time and day the ice will melt. 

A member of the Joe's Pond Ice Out committee, Michelle Walker, explained what they use to get the exact timing.

"It's called a Rue Goldburg device. It's kinda a whole bunch of things mashed together, that they put out on the ice and it goes back to a clock on the sore line with a break away switch," she explained, "So when the pallet falls through the ice, it breaks the electricity to the clock and we know thats the time the ice went out"

This year, John Vincent from Wadesworth, Ohio, guesseed the closest time. He guessed April 17th at 8:38pm, the ice went out that night at 8:41pm. He will recieve half of the funds the committe recieve from ticket sales. The association with take the other half

"Half of it goes back to the Joes Pond Association which we use primarily for maintence of water quality." Michelle explained, "That's really important for a small lake with so many residents on it."

The association also uses the money for smaller projects such as replacing parts of the ice pallet and paying the committees credit card. They focus strongly on ensuring the water quality is safe for those visiting and living on the pond.

The Joes Pond Association looks forward to continuing this event in following years.