Pagosa Springs Rotary Club
Spring is sprung and the Lake Hatcher ice melted enough to drop the fifty-five gallon barrel, containing a clock, to the depths of the lake. This proved bad news for the clock but great news for three lucky people who won some serious money.
The contest was based on guessing the exact date, hour, minute and second that the ice would melt enough to drop the barrel in the water, thus stopping the clock. According to the clock reading, this happened on March 26, at 3:53 and 41 seconds. Missing the exact time by an astonishing two minutes and 15 seconds and winning $1,000 for the closest guess was Lisa Gamber, second place, winning $500, was Dawn Eggleston and third place went to Warren Brown, winning $250.
Sounds like an easy contest but there's more than meets the eye. Getting the barrel on the lake's two foot thick ice late in early February was a bit of a chore, as there's always the chance of slipping and falling. Retrieving the barrel from the cold watery depths is another story.
An unsuccessful attempt to retrieve the barrel happened on March 27 but not to be deterred, the recovery happened on March 31. Under the watchful eye of Chief Larson and Deputy Chief Karn Macht, a twenty foot Rescue Boat was launched with firemen Lyle Hoffschneider and Anthony Ferguson. Although tethered to the shore in case of an incident, two additional firemen were at the ready, if needed, as required in the two in, two out rescue method. This method proved the right choice for these highly trained firemen, as the barrel was swiftly and safely retrieved from the lake and brought to shore.
In addition to Pagosa Fire and Paramedic Department, the Pagosa Springs Rotary Club, in cooperation with the Pagosa Lakes Property Owners Association (PLPOA) would like to thank The Pagosa Sun, KWUF Radio, The Choke Cherry Tree, the Chamber of Commerce, Al Myatt and Ski and Bow Rack for providing services that helped make the Second Annual Ice Melt Contest another success. All proceeds from this contest will go toward the Rotary Scholarship Fund for Pagosa Springs High School graduates.
When cabin fever sets in for 2021, as it surely will, this fun, profitable and rewarding contest will be back to help chase those blues away.
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