Norway Pond Iceout has returned to Hancock for its 10th year as the the little church has taken up residence on the pond.
The name of the game is to correctly guess when the ice will crack beneath the little church and submerge into the water. People can submit their guesses by buying tickets, which are sold at three for $5 or six for $10.
“It’s pretty much a tradition now,” said Jane Richards-Jones, who helps organize the event and, along with her husband Phil, came up with the idea when they heard about somebody doing something similar in Vermont.
“It’s just cool as can be,” Richards-Jones said. “We have a great time doing it, we always look forward to it. We’re excited every year.”
The little church was put into place Jan. 14, and it’s now up to contestants to guess when it will fall.
The person who comes the closest to the exact time the ice goes out, down to the minute, is declared the winner. That winner shares the profits of the ticket sales with the First Congregational Church of Hancock, whose shares go toward maintaining their historic Meetinghouse and vestry.
According to Richards-Jones, the church and the town work together since they have shared ownership of the Meetinghouse building.
“We’re really proud that this is a town and church effort,” she said. “It’s kind of a tradition now for the town and the church to share a little bit of excitement during winter.”
Richards-Jones credited other team members with engineering key aspects of the Iceout, including Dick Warner, who designed the little church and maintains it throughout the year, and Mark Spinnelli, who runs the technology that is used to pinpoint when the church is submerged.
“It’s so sophisticated,” said Richards-Jones. “They really enhanced the project.”
People who are curious about real-time conditions at the little church’s location on the pond can go to hancock.iceout.us and see its status and various temperature readings.
According to Richards-Jones, the ice typically goes out in the first or second week of April, but a few years have seen it go out in March, so they stop selling tickets on March 15.
“As the climate changes, we have no idea when anything is going to happen, so it adds an extra pizzazz of excitement,” she said.
Until mid-March, tickets will be available for purchase at Hancock Inn, Fiddleheads, Hancock Market, or from church congregation members. Richards-Jones encouraged everybody to participate — one year, the winner was a woman from England who was friends with a Hancock resident, she said.
“Traditions are very much things that bind communities together,” said Richards-Jones. “For a couple of bucks, you can have a moment of excitement, that you might guess the right time.”