The ice is "out" earlier than ever at a pond where folks bet on the arrival of spring.
The Joe’s Pond Ice Out sells $1 chances for people to pick the exact date and time when a 65-pound cinder block falls into the West Danville pond each spring. It ended at 2:46 Monday afternoon – the earliest since the guessing game began in 1988.
This year, more than 11,000 tickets were purchased. But the deadline for entries was April 1, so the Joe’s Pond Association hasn’t declared a winner yet, since some may have been postmarked by midnight Thursday and not received yet.
Association secretary Jane Brown said organizers were afraid the ice would go out before the close of entries.