The Ice Harvest
or pretending to be Kristoff. plus barrel room concerts, coveted dinners and more.
I just got back from a week in Florida - but the day before I was sitting poolside? I was harvesting ice in South Bristol, Maine.
Each year in February, a group of volunteers head to The Thompson Ice House Harvesting Museum to participate in a historical re-eanctment of ice harvesting that began over 200 years ago. Beginning in 1826, Asa Thompson dammed a small brook from natural springs on his property and started a commercial ice business.
This was long before you could grab ice bags at the grocery store or from your own freezer - so fisherman, boaters, local residents and more would stock up from The Thompson family in South Bristol. Of course, once refrigerators were being produced, this practice became almost entirely obsolete by the 1930s.
That didn’t faze The Thompson family however: they kept their business up and running until 1985. And by 1987, the ice house and property were donated to the Thompson Ice House Preservation Corporation and have been preserved as a museum ever since.
And as if Mainers would ever hand this title over to anyone else: The Thompson Ice House, recognized by the National Historic Register in 1974, is believed to be the only ice house on the register that continues to store naturally harvested ice in the traditional way.
The Sunday of President’s Day weekend each year, folks from all over will head to Thompson Pond to help with the ice harvesting. And this year, my family and I were some of those folks.
Using the original tools and equipment that only get turned on once a year (the crowd all collectively held their breath as engines were started) - a channel is created in the water to float the ice along. Volunteers are invited to poke, prod and help float the blocks of ice toward the conveyor belt - and once they begin their descent into the ice house, they whip down to where brave souls are awaiting them. These blocks can weigh up to 300 pounds and move at a very swift speed, crashing into the blocks before them before getting stacked in the traditional way.
Kids of all ages, my daughter included, were handed tools and encouraged to participate. There are plenty of tasks for anyone who wants to get involved (or those that just want to pretend to be Kristoff from Frozen) - plus plenty of hot chocolate/treats for observers from the sidelines. It’s a totally lovely, fun, fascinating, community affair.
And what happens with the ice that gets harvested?
Well, only the greatest thing ever: it’s used for the Annual Ice Cream Social held every July where all ages hand crank ice cream and visit Museum exhibits. This year, the Ice Cream Social at The Thompson Ice House will be held on Sunday, July 6th 2024. Try the various flavors or get a root beer float - anyone and everyone are welcome.
On the plentiful list of activities to enjoy in Maine, these two days in February and July will remain fixed dates on our family calendar. You’ll find me at the Ice Cream Social this July, pretending that my ice cream cone was made from the exact block of ice I harvested in February.
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