Left, a view of a frozen McDill Pond. (Contributed photo)

By Krista Olsen, Lake District Secretary- Special to the City-Times

With the already-long winter and people eagerly awaiting signs of spring, McDill Lake District is bringing back the old tradition of guessing when the “Ice- Off” occurs on McDill Pond.

While it is no long possible to park a junker car on the iced over pond and await a break in the ice, we will be watching and observing when the ice is clear from beneath the high power lines that cross McDill.

To get the community involved in watching and waiting, McDill Lake District is hosting an “Ice- Off Raffle” to benefit McDill Pond.

For $5 a ticket, participants can guess the “Ice- Off” date for a chance at a  50/50 cash raffle. Three entries will be drawn from all correctly- guessed dates. Details on the time and place of the drawing will be announced later.

“Ice- Off” will be officially declared on the date when approximately 90 percent of the ice is clear and water is flowing freely.

Proceeds from the raffle will be used for AIS (Aquatic Invasive Species) prevention and pond equipment maintenance.

Tickets are available now through February 28^th at: The Insurance Counselor  3503 Church St, Stevens Point, or by e-mailing [email protected]

Krista Olson

Secretary Commissioner

McDill Lake District