As many of you know, this is the sixth year of what has turned into an annual event in Goshen. The rules are simple - come closest to guessing the exact time and day that a 69-pound concrete block falls through the ice (without going over) and you’ll win half of all the proceeds. The block sits on a wooden pallet that holds a flag. The flag is simply a marker that shows where the block is when it gets completely covered in snow. The block is connected by a rope to an electric clock. The clock is plugged into an outlet in the gatehouse on the dam holding back Hammond Pond. Once the block falls through the ice or the ice floe moves away from the dam, the tension on the cord will pull the plug out of the wall socket and stop the clock. It’s that straightforward.
This year’s fundraiser will benefit the Goshen Historical Commission in their mission to preserve and protect the historical assets of Goshen. The Commission is a branch of town government with a very small budget but gladly accepts contributions that further their programs. It is made up of a handful of townspeople that have dedicated a significant portion of their free time to document, inventory and safeguard the rich history that the town and this region possesses.
Regular updates will be posted here. Additional tickets can also be downloaded from the site. Participants that include an e-mail address on their ticket stub will be added to a private e-mail distribution list that is used to provide periodic updates and snapshots of the block. The current list includes several hundred addresses of people who are regularly entertained by these updates. The sooner your tickets are returned, the sooner you can become part of that exclusive group.
The deadline for ticket submissions is Thursday, April 1st. Tickets received after that date (unless they were postmarked on or before 4/1) will be returned. This date is weather dependant and is subject to change.
Here are some statistics from the past 5 year’s of Meltdown events to consider as you make your selections:
· Of the 5,715 tickets submitted, 2,694 were from women, 2,675 were from men, 279 were from couples, 53 were from anonymous donors and 16 were from animals (dogs, cats, birds).
· The ratio of morning to afternoon picks was 18% and 82% respectively.
· 77% of all the guesses were for times between April 1st and April 21st.
· The most popular dates were 4/12 (264), 4/10 (262), 4/11 (255), 4/13 and 4/15 (249) and 4/8 (228).
· The favorite times were 3 p.m. (221), 2 p.m. (210), 3:30 p.m. (178), 2:30 p.m. (166) and 1 p.m. (146). The winner is the person who is the closest to the exact time the clock stops without going over.
· Daylight savings time starts on Sunday, March 14th. Keep that in mind when making your selection.
· The official end of the previous contests were as follows:
o 2009 – April 5th at 11:02AM
o 2008 – April 16th at 3:04PM
o 2007 – April 21st at 12:00 Noon
o 2006 – April 1st at 8:18 PM
o 2005 – April 12th at 4:47 PM
· Other significant dates to consider are as follows:
o 3/20 at 1PM - Official start of the Holyoke St. Patrick’s Day Road Race
o 3/21 at 11PM - Official start of the Holyoke St. Patrick’s Day Parade
o 4/04 at 8:05PM – First pitch on Opening Night at Fenway Park in Boston
o 4/13 at 1:05PM – First pitch on Opening Day at Yankee Stadium
o 4/15 at 2:45AM – Day and time the Titanic sank in 1912
As always…THINK SPRING!
Bob Labrie
Hammond Acres Association
(For more information - e-mail - bslabrie@msn.com, phone – 413-268-7110)
Mail ticket stubs to P.O. Box 923, Williamsburg, MA 01096-0923
Please make checks payable to “HAMMOND ACRES CLUB”
