Seven people will share the glory – and the prizes – for correctly guessing the ice-out dates for White Bear Lake and/or Bald Eagle Lake.
Ice out on White Bear Lake happened on Tuesday, April 18; ice out on Bald Eagle Lake happened on Friday, April 14, said Alan Haskins, who organized this year’s contest. White Bear Lake resident Mike Parenteau is the lake’s “official ice-out declarer,” Haskins said.
Nearly 400 people entered the contest. The seven winners will split a prize pool of more than $3,000 in gifts and gift certificates from 36 different White Bear Lake businesses, Haskins said.
The ice out was earlier than many expected – guesses ranged from April 4 to May 5, Haskins said. “Minnesota weather threw us a curveball last week with record high temps and tanked quite a few guesses,” he said.
The winners who correctly guessed ice out on White Bear Lake were: Eric Stevens, Erin Raboin, Kristina Sherrett, Zach Berger, Katie Copan and Claire Schleicher.
Alyssa McDonough correctly guessed the ice-out date for Bald Eagle Lake. “This is the third year in a row that she guessed the right date, and we’ve only been doing this for three years,” Haskins said.
Lake Minnetonka ice-out
The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office and the Freshwater Society officially declared ice-out on Lake Minnetonka at 8:35 a.m. Wednesday, according to a press release from the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office.
Ice-out is declared when the sheriff’s office Water Patrol and the Freshwater Society “can safely pilot a boat through all the lake’s channels and 37 bays without being obstructed by ice,” the press release states.
The longstanding tradition of declaring ice-out on Lake Minnetonka is considered the official start to the boating season.
