"ICE"..recipe for fun!

Before work I went to the 18th annual ice festival down the road, and am always amazed at the turn out as well as the contribution to history our wonderful state has provided...

The major cities, in years past relied on us to provide ice for food preservation...i.e. New York City, Philia,.....

Seeing those big blocks of ice reminds of the "ice block riding" that they do in Utah for summer fun. You get a bunch of ice blocks and drag them to the top of the hill. It's got to be a steep hill well covered in grass. Then you straddle the ice block and some one shoves you off down the hill. It's a wild ride. The smaller folks will pile 2 or 3 bodies on the block and take off. Some folks take a rope and attempt to make a handle on the front edge by developing a grove on the front of the block with friction. It works but those people are generally seen as wimps. The biggest trick is getting the ice back up the hill.

This form of recreation was first done in the late 1800s and is still around today. On any weekend you can see the shrinking ice blocks at the bottom of the hill after people have had enough or were taken to the hospital. We tried it once when we were visiting there and that was enough for me. Take care, Lisa

Great Pic's,Even greater Story !! Yep,you've got to honor and remember the times that made Rural America the backbone of a rising nation. I'm old enough to have seen and been around the remnants of the ice cutting and storage houses on Kelley's Island,Ohio. between general living needs on an island,and the commercial fishing fleet,the need for ice was great. Seems the Yuppies,in their rush to overtake the island and make it a posh joint,forgot alot about the history.

Thanks! I wish i stayed long enough to try the ice cream they were making with the ole 1 lung-er engine and belt drive icecream maker!

by that time my hand was frozen from holding the i-phone!!!

Man Lisa, I will have to try that ice sled trick!!! hmmmmm....

Man!!!! I would have been looking for some hot co-co after looking at all that ice. Did the big saw blade cut part way thru the ice and they finished the cut with the hand saw or did it do the whole job? Must have been the job where they needed the life preserver. I didn't see any piles of sawdust?

That looks cool! That would be nice to see those big saws in action. Now that's ols school!!

It was way cool. That ole saw makes a "distink" sound when it runs too!!

http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.d ... /101160345

Thanks for all the photos, Gene.
Ice harvesting was big business here as well back in the day. The ice was packed in saw dust and put up in ice houses. Another part of a bygone era.

Yes John, they kept it all year packed in saw dust. Millpond 1 is only blocks from the Tobyhanna rail station, Closer yet in Pocono Pines, the ice house was along side the rail. This area is full of those decendents of those by-gone era's. Now the Ice House here has a 2 for one burger night on tuesday's!! p.s. ..... there pretty good too!!!

That looks like fun. Save me some ice for my refrigerator I remember seing a horse drawn ice saw at an auction,any of those in use ?

That looks like an intresting event I'd like to attend! Where can I get information on this event for next year?