Fourth annual Rotary Ice Melt Contest underway

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By JoAnn Laird

Rotary Club

You’ve cleaned out your closets, the garage is now spotless and you’ve exhausted all ideas to survive this pandemic lifestyle. Fortunately, help is on the way. Enter the Ice Melt Contest to not only give you something different to do, but also earn you some cash to shop for that new whatever when the coast is clear.

In conjunction with the Pagosa Lakes Property Owner’s Association (PLPOA), your community-minded Rotary Cub is launching this annual winter fundraiser. There is no need for face masks, and social distancing is a given. Simply put, this is a contest of precise timing. These crafty Rotarians will take a huge drum with a clock attached to it and set it on the now-frozen Lake Hatcher. As we head toward March 17, the lake will thaw, the drum will fall through the ice, the clocks stop working and that will signal the date and time to end the contest and award the winners. It is safe and, best of all, can be done from the confines of your spotless garage. Just use your phone to make online purchases at www.pagosaspringsrotary.org. 

Get your tickets to make your predictions soon, as the way the last 12 months have gone, the ice could melt tomorrow. Tickets are also available through the PLPOA Administration Office, PLPOA Rec Center, Chamber of Commerce, Chokecherry Tree or Ski and Bow Rack. The ticket prices will be $5 for 1, $20 for 5, $40 for 10 and $100 for 30 tickets. The deadline to submit tickets is March 17 at 11:59 p.m. However, if the ice melts before then and the clock stops, you’re out of luck. Better get your tickets now. 

The top three guesses, closest to the date and time the clocks stop, will win $1,000 for first place, $750 for second place and $500 for third place. 

All proceeds will go toward the Rotary Scholarship Fund for Pagosa Springs High School graduates. Rotary has proudly funded over $20,000 a year, for over 20 years, to deserving students, even in pandemic times.

Here’s a chance to possibly win serious money for your future concert going or trip to Budapest. More importantly, your small price for adventure will help our local youth with their higher education. Could Feb. 21 at 3:17 p.m. or maybe March 19 at 1:27 p.m. be the date and time the clock stops?