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Hammond Acres Club, Inc. welcomes you to the
Click here for 2013 Meltdown tickets (PDF file)
Click on the year below to see updates from current and previous years events.
Friend the Meltdown Contest
In a tradition that had its humble beginnings almost a decade ago, the 9th annual Meltdown has begun.
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 to an electric clock by a rope. 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 Camp Howe, a 4-H summer camp that’s called Goshen it’s home since 1935. Specifically, the camp is looking to furnish a Cool Down Space in their new Multi-purpose building. This space is planned to be a room in which any child that needs a personal break from camp can go to decompress and relax. It will have an abundance of beanbags, pillows, sensory items (tactile fun stuff), and games / toys for interactive play. Most importantly, this space will be especially useful for campers with special needs.
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.
I’m taking a chance at keeping the deadline for ticket submissions as April 1st. If you recall from last year, the block fell through the ice on March 19th – almost two weeks before the deadline. While I can only do so much to regulate the impact climate change is having on our contest, something tells me that the cold will be around longer this year. Tickets received after April 1st (unless they were postmarked on or before that date) will be returned. This date is weather dependant and will be irrelevant if the block falls through the ice before then.
Here are some statistics from the past 8 year’s of Meltdown events to consider as you make your selections:
- The most popular dates were 4/1 (467), 4/2 (450), 4/4 (435), 4/10 (422) and 4/12 (409).
- The ratio of morning to afternoon picks was 25% and 75% respectively.
- 81% of all guesses were for dates between April 1st and April 21st (hint, hint).
- Daylight savings time starts on Sunday, March 10th. Keep that in mind when making your selection.
The official ends of the previous contests were as follows:
2012 – 03/19 - 2:14 PM
2011 – 04/14 - 12:44 PM
2010 – 04/02 - 11:52 AM
2009 – 04/05 - 11:02 AM
2008 – 04/16 - 3:04 PM
2007 – 04/21 - 12:00 Noon
2006 – 04/01 - 8:18 PM
2005 – 04/12 - 4:47 PM
Other significant dates to consider are as follows:
4/01 at 1:05PM – First pitch on Opening Day at Yankee Stadium AND at Citi Field (Mets) in New York.
4/08 at 2:05PM – First pitch on Opening Day at Fenway Park in Boston against the Orioles.
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”
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