Ice Is Finally Out

In Brookfield!

The fifth annual "Ice-Out Contest" sponsored by the Brookfield Historical Society ended with a splash on April 20 at 3:59 p.m.

That was three days earlier than in 2007, according to Gary Lord of the Brookfield Historical Society, which sponsors the contest.

The winner was Carol Topham of Brookfield, who submitted an estimate of April 20th at 4:21 p.m.

Half of the contest proceeds of $720 will be distributed among three prize winners. Besides Topham, these will include the contestant with the closest time AFTER the winning time (Carl Wright, of Brookfield, who estimated 5 p.m.), and the contestant with the closest estimate BEFORE the winning time (Craig Smith of Brookfield, who estimated 3:21 p.m.)

The timing apparatus, positioned on Sunset Pond north of the Floating Bridge, was designed by engineering students in Professor Greg Wight’s mechtronics class at Norwich University. Ice-out occurs when a cement block secured to the apparatus plunges through the ice and stops an attached alarm clock.

The ice-out contest, in addition to benefiting the Brookfield Historical Society, is a celebration of spring and an attempt to predict the vagaries of a Vermont winter, Lord noted.