The Ice Guessing Contest has been launched for 2006 with several ticket outlets available at local businesses as well as from IODE members. The closing date to buy tickets is midnight April 25th so start thinking of your winning month, day, hour, minute, am or pm. IODE has been running this contest aka The Ice Pool since the early to mid 50's. We couldn't do it without all our volunteer helpers - the ticket sellers; the YOOPS who put the tripod on the ice; Arctic Inland who supplies the lumber; the wire donated by Northwestel to connect the clock (donated by Lambert) housed on a wall of the Cultural Centre in a box built and mounted by Han Construction; a Yukon Energy volunteer to do the wiring; the volunteer firefighters who ring the siren as soon as they receive the word that the ice has moved the Tripod; (this sounds like a rendition of The House That Jack Built!!) and finally the volunteers, especially Barb Hanulik, who help sort the thousands of tickets. What is the PRIZE? There is a minimum of $1000 but the more tickets sold (or bought), the bigger the prize!! So don't just buy one ticket - buy lots! In 2001 we upped the price per ticket from $1.00 to $2.00, but that year there was no contest due to too much open water too close to the Tripod area. I've listed the winners and prizes (which IODE now shares with the winnng guesser 50-50 of the net proceeds) in the new century as follows:
Now we just have to wait and see what the weather does, when the ice will go out and who wins the prize. It looks like it might be Dawson's turn this year but who knows? Maybe Braeburn or Carmacks or Stewart Crossing? Submitted by Joyce Caley, President, Dawson City Chapter IODE |