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2004 Annual Pawtuckaway Lake
Ice-Out Date Guessing Contest

Official Rules

Italics are changes added Mar 19, 2004.

  1. All guesses must be received from Feb 2 to March 20. This date is subject to change if the ice starts melting faster. Keep an eye on the Ice-Out page for updates.
  2. To enter a two-part guess, pick the date you think the jury will declare as Ice-Out 2004 and the week that you think the temp will first hit 70, after Mar 20.
    Four consolation prizes will be awarded to the closest two Ice-Out Guesses, and closest two 70-Degree-Week Guesses, before and after the correct choice.
  3. You may enter a new two-part guess during each Sun-Sat week of the guessing period. Must be at least 16 years old to guess.
  4. Only one entry for each date/week combination will be accepted, so pick yours soon. Guesses for a combination already chosen will be returned for re-guessing.
  5. In the event no one selects the actual date combination, the guess nearest the correct combination, before or after, will win. Ties go to whoever made their Guess first.
    "Nearest" is determined by COUNTING the TOTAL of the number of rows away from the correct Guess, PLUS, the number of columns away from the correct Guess. Lowest TOTAL is the "nearest".
  6. The jury's declaration of Ice-Out will be final. (Hey, it's only a game! If you think we're probably gonna get it wrong, well, guess anyway, and think of it like getting a free lottery ticket.)
  7. The official daily temperature taker of the 2004 Ice-Out Contest is amateur meteorologist Jay Carter of Epping, NH, who will record the daily temperature at his home, where he operates an extremely expensive, and impressive looking, personal weather station. You can view his daily measurements at this website. We will be using Jay's "Surface Temperature" reading. The alternate temperature recording station will be Manchester Airport.