Raquette Lake Supply Company will begin preparations for the annual Raquette Lake Ice Harvest on Friday, February 10, a tradition that dates back over a hundred years.
Ice cutting on Adirondack lakes was originally—and still is—used as a means of refrigeration during the summer months.
During the winter, blocks of ice called cakes were cut and stored in insulated barns with an additional insulating layer of saw dust to keep the ice frozen in the summer months.Jim Dillon, the owner of Raquette Lake Supply and the organizer of the event, uses the harvested ice to help keep the coolers cold at his own store.
After being stored in the Icehouse behind the store, the ice, according to Sue DeMarsh, is used for air conditioning.
“As it melts in the summer, it goes down the tube and is recirculated as air conditioning for the bar (Tap Room) and for the office in the store,” she said.
DeMarsh said the event will begin on Friday with a ‘pre-cut’ and a crew of volunteers working to open up the channel so that the ice can be moved up the lake.
Then, on Saturday everyone joins in to make the final cuts and to help push the cubes of ice down the channel and up onto a conveyor belt to be transported by truck to the ice house.
As part of the cutting process, the crews will use a power saw with a circular blade that is capable of cutting a slot 11 inches deep to create a grid-like groove in the ice which, according to Jim Huss, is currently an estimated 13 inches thick.
“It is fun to see. The community comes out to do it—there are not many places that do this anymore,” Huss said.
Those who plan on attending should arrive around 10 a.m. on Saturday if they want to see the saw in action.
And according to DeMarsh, the event is one that is not to be missed.
“It’s a dying thing. It’s not something that is going to be going on for years and years. It’s also a great lesson for kids, as they will probably never have an opportunity to see this elsewhere,” she said.
Volunteers and visitors are welcome to watch and participate throughout the day, however, DeMarsh urges parents with young children to keep a close eye on them as there will be some open water during the process.
“Just warn them that if they see water, they are not to go near it. Everyone should be careful and not get near the edge,” she added.
