Mirror Lake, Lake Placid Ice Out tickets now on sale; benefit for ambulance squad
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LAKE PLACID — The ice on Mirror Lake and Lake Placid is still intact. But when will it give way to warm spring weather, creep back from the shoreline and disappear altogether? Take a guess.
The 19th annual Ice-Out benefit, a tradition of guessing the final ice-out date to raise money for the community, is underway. Tickets to place a bet are available until Thursday, April 1 and can be purchased at various places around town, such as the North Elba Town Hall, Essex County/Lake Placid Visitors Bureau and NBT Bank on Main Street.
The contest will benefit the Lake Placid Volunteer Ambulance Service (LPVAS) who will put the money toward a new addition to its garage.
People can guess the ice-out dates and times for both Mirror Lake and Lake Placid. Tickets are $5 a piece.
“This is a fun way for us to raise money and promote safety on our lakes,” said Judy Shea, volunteer and chairwomen of the benefit. “There is an ever-growing demand for our services, and we want to ensure the safety of the community.”
LPVAS has been answering more than 1,100 calls per year for 10 years. Response time has been significantly reduced to an average of under four minutes.
“We need to respond to a growing need,” Shea said. “LPVAS is on the forefront of providing EMS (emergency medical service) in this area.”
According to Shea the need for improvements to the garage are a must. Plans include a garage addition to house all four emergency vehicles, installing a decontamination room to comply with the New York State Department of Health, the replacement of deteriorating garage walls and an alternate “emergency shelter” for EMS personnel.
“We provide advanced medical care in the region, which is incredibly beneficial,” Shea said.
The tradition
Records for the Ice Out on Mirror Lake were originally kept by F.B. Giles in 1903 and are the longest records of ice breaking in New York state.
Town/Village historians Mary MacKenzie and now Chris Beattie send current data to the State University of New York in Buffalo where Professor Kenton Stewart conducts studies in climatic changes.
The range for Mirror Lake is March 27 in 1946 to May 13 in 1971, and the range for Lake Placid is March 30 in 1946 to May 16 in 1972.
As part of the tradition, official “ice meisters” will be monitoring the lakes using a certain criteria established long ago. Mirror Lake must be substantially open, from shore to shore, village to the Boathouse. And Lake Placid needs to be navigable, around the lake and through the straights.
For Mirror Lake, the meisters are Jack Irvin, Jen Holderied, Bob Crowley and John Weber. Lake Placid meisters include, Kris Hansen, Jane Bacon, Brian Bliss, and Marty and Mary Shubert.
Tickets may be mailed by April 1 to: LPVAS, P.O. Box 107, Lake Placid, 12946. Winners will receive an unspecified cash prize.
For more information, contact Judy Shea at 523-9815.
Other places to
purchase tickets
Central Garage, Great Adirondack Steak and Seafood, Station Street Liquors, Contemporary Images, The Pines, Mountain Mama’s, Sunoco A-plus, Lake Placid News, Newman News, Zig Zag Pub, Lamb Lumber, the UPS Stores, Lisa G’s, Stephano’s Restaurant, Ambulance Garage and Mirror Lake Wine and Liquor.
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