WILLOW CREEK — The 30th annual Ice-Out on Homan’s Pond drew 350 entrants this year, making it the largest field in the competition’s history.

Ten-year-old Amos Homan enters his first Ice-Out on Homan's Pond, joining 350 contestants in the 30th annual competition as he begins what will become the longest streak in the event's history.
Ten-year-old Amos Homan enters his first Ice-Out on Homan's Pond, joining 350 contestants in the 30th annual competition as he begins what will become the longest streak in the event's history.

Among the entrants, for the first time, was ten-year-old Amos Homan — the son of Ezra Homan and the grandson of Elias Homan, who gave permission for the first Ice-Out to be held on his land in 1927.

Amos’s prediction: April 16, 2:15 PM.

The ice cleared on April 8.

“I was close last year,” Amos said, undeterred. “Last year I guessed April 10, but my father wouldn’t let me enter because I was only nine. So I wrote it down in my notebook anyway. I was only off by two days.”

The persistence is characteristic of the Homan family’s relationship with the pond. Ezra Homan has entered every Ice-Out since the beginning — thirty consecutive entries, an unmatched streak. His spiral notebook of ice conditions, barometric readings, and water temperatures now fills four volumes.

“I don’t share the notebook with anyone,” Ezra said. “Not even Amos. If he wants to win, he has to learn to read the pond himself.”

The winning prediction this year came from a retired schoolteacher from Houlton, who guessed April 8 at 10:37 AM. The actual ice clearance was 10:42 AM — a margin of five minutes. The prize pool of $350 was the largest in the competition’s history.

Arthur Whitcomb’s Gazette editorial noted the significance of the 30th anniversary: “Three decades ago, a handful of idle mill workers passed a hat on a frozen pond. Today, 350 people — including the grandson of the man who owned that pond — are carrying on a tradition that has outlived the original mill workers who started it. The Ice-Out belongs to Willow Creek now, and it will not be the last generation to treasure it.”

Despite the strong field, the younger Homan took the loss in stride. “I’ll be back next year,” he said. “The pond isn’t going anywhere.”

Referenced in