The anxiously awaited and much anticipated conclusion of the 2025 Clary Lake Ice Out Contest has finally arrived! I’m declaring ice out today, April 1st! No this isn’t an April Fools joke! There has been a large and frustratingly persistent ice floe down at the east end of the lake that blocked access to the lake from the State Boat launch. While the rest of the lake has been pretty much ice free for a while, it’s really hard to call it ice out if you can’t launch a boat. Today, that ice floe has finally succumbed to a strong northeast wind.

And we have a winner! It’s me! I won! I picked April 1st way back on February 16th! Sadly I can’t with a clear conscience both be the person who determines ice out and the winner of the contest, or so my wife tells me. According to Margaret, that would be just wrong, So in the interest of maintaining spousal serenity I’ve decided to give the $25 Jefferson Scoop first prize gift certificate to the person who came closest without going over: Carolyn Curtis! Her guess was yesterday, March 31st. Carolyn and her husband Paul have a camp over on Hornpout Lane. Maybe she’ll buy me an ice cream cone this summer. Is that too much to ask?

Thank you all for playing!