Mark your calendars!
The Millers Mills Ice Cream Social and 5K Road Race/2 Mile Fun Walk is Sunday, July 18, 2010, 9:15 AM
Click the "Ice Cream Social" link to the right for more information.
Observer-Dispatch
Posted Feb 14, 2010 @ 05:44 PM
Last update Feb 15, 2010 @ 08:36 AM
MILLERS MILLS —
Whether living up the hill from Little Unadilla Lake or 30 miles away from this quaint town, everyone had a part Sunday in harvesting the pond’s ice during the Millers Mills Grange’s annual Old-Fashioned Ice Harvest — a tradition that dates back to the 1800s. Ten-year-old Andrew Yozzo, of Marcy, sawed the previously scored blocks of ice with a toothed saw almost bigger than he. A few dozen others scattered along the frozen pond at about 1:30 p.m. to saw the ice.
“Mom, you try,” he called to Chris Yozzo, who just smiled while taking his picture with her cell phone.
It’s hard,” he said, passing the saw to his 12-year-old brother Matthew Yozzo. “Too much work.”
And while Andrew took a break and Matthew soon joined him, 22-year-old James Drake, of Miller’s Mills, helped to haul the foot-deep blocks of ice onto Michael Chase’s sled, hitched to his horses Will and Chance.
Chase and his Belgian Geldings Will and Chance, have been helping to transport the harvested ice for 10 years. The horses wore specially made spiked steel shoes on their hooves, allowing them to traverse the icy pond and snowy hills that led to the ice house behind the Community Baptist Church of Millers Mills where the ice will be stored — packed with sawdust — until summer.
Come summer, the ice will be doled out and sold and used at the summer’s ice cream social, where they’ll serve hand-churned frozen custard. But centuries ago, farmers would store that ice out of necessity to keep food and milk cold during summer months.
“It was something people had to do,” said Grange Master Judy Guske. “(People) need to understand what it was like and how hard it was to keep food cold … . This is old-fashioned hard work.”
And all of the work is done in an old-fashioned way – with old-fashioned tools, such as pincers and poles and helping hands.
If it weren’t for the estimated 1,000 people who come from all over the state to help harvest the ice, it’d be an almost impossible job to fill the ice house with the 300 to 500 blocks of ice, Guske said.
“We’re not out there alone, and we can’t do it alone,” she said. “We’re doing this as a team, and have to do this as a team.”
Winners of the Raffle
1st Place Sweetheart Raffle for Dinner and Overnight at Villa Isidoro’s – David Flanagan of West Winfield, NY
2nd Place Sleigh Ride by Don Parsons – Leonard Sexton, West Winfield, NY
3rd Place Wine Basket – Shannon Goodhines, Frankfort, NY
4th Place Wine Basket – Theresa Oaks, Richfield Springs, NY
5th Place Wine Basket – Meghan Murphy, West Winfield, NY
50/50 Raffle winner of $80 – David Drymond, West Winfield, NY
Quilt made and donated by Granger Bonnie King – Winner : Claudia Williams, Whitesboro, NY |