Ice Out contest begins

AREA — It's almost that time of year again. Just a month ago, a furry rodent in Pennsylvania somehow managed to be eluded by his own shadow, which obviously means one thing and one thing alone; spring is approaching faster than the snow  buried our cars last week.

Frankly, we at the Advertiser Democrat are not ones to question the indubitable science underlying Punxsutawney Phil's brash annual predictions, and as such, we have decided to commence our annual Ice Out competition.

We will be finding out who among us is in possession of the keenest instincts, whose mind is the most finely-tuned barometer of our local environment. Found in this very paper is your ticket to stardom, fame, and a whole slew of free things from businesses in West Paris, Oxford and Norway.

Just clip out the Ice Out form and tell us when you think all of the ice will be gone from Lake Pennesseewassee. The person who comes the closest will be richly rewarded with the following items: a $25 gift certificate from Café Nomad, a $25 gift certificate from Woodman’s, a $40 gift certificate from Hill Top Pools and Spa, a $20 six-month subscription to the Advertiser Democrat, a whopping $100 gift certificate from Lake Store, $25 at Smedberg’s Crystal Spring Farm, a $25 gift certificate from Boomer’s, one Thirty-One product  from Eileen Morse (a 40$ value), and one large one-topping pizza from Sideline Variety.

To aid you in your guess-capades, consider the following information; the ice on Pennesseewassee has never gone out later than May 13, as it did in 1874, nor earlier than April 1, as in 1881. For a more detailed account and the opportunity to do some heavy mathematical analysis, head over to Woodman's Sporting Goods on Main Street in Norway, where they  keep information on nearly every recorded ice out on the books.

Entries can be returned to any of the participating businesses no later than March 22. Best of luck in your forecasting. Qualified meteorologists need not apply.