SINCLAIR (NEWS CENTER Maine) – Folks in the St. John Valley are circling a frozen world record by creating the largest ice carousel.
“Around here you have to make your own fun,” Mike Cyr said.
Cyr is part of the group working to make a massive 430-foot wide circle of ice spin on Long Lake in Sinclair.
It is something that first started as a family tradition of sorts, according to Cyr.
"People would just come out on the lake toward springtime, cut a hole in the ice, and just rotate, cook hotdogs and drink a beer,” he said.
This year, they wanted to make it the biggest the world has ever seen to beat out the current world record holder in Finland.
After working over the course of four days, more than 1,000 holes drilled with augers, and a lot of engineering, they finally got it to spin—kind of.
"We actually were able to dislodge an 11,000 ton circle of ice!" Cyr said.
It only moved about six inches though before getting shifting and getting stuck. Cyr said it is because of how massive the piece of ice is. They estimate it is upwards of 11 tons of ice.
"We have not thrown in the towel,” he said.
Cyr said the group plans to continue the effort once warmer temperatures thaw some of the ice.
In the process, they are raising money for Meals on Wheels to help feed the elderly by selling raffle tickets. Cyr said it is a population that is often forgotten about in the area.
"That one hot meal they receive in a day is sometimes the only human touch that they have,” Cyr said.
So far they have raised well over a $1,000. The whole project has been a team effort that, Cyr said, has really built a sense of unity.
"We make a team from nothing, and all of a sudden, we're a community all working towards a common goal, a common cause, and helping our senior citizens all the while,” Cyr said.
The group hopes to make another attempt in a few weeks. Follow Snowmobile Northern Maine on Facebook to see their progress, and how you can donate to the cause.