2025 Ice Harvest Recap

EAST MEREDITH — A big thank you to those who came to the 2025 Ice Harvest at the Hanford Mills Museum, 51 County Hwy 12, East Meredith! The event was a huge success with over 600 visitors and 50 volunteers in attendance. Staff and volunteers filled the ice house, helped visitors through the process of cutting ice blocks from the pond, and provided warm beverages in the Learning Lab. Students from the Cooperstown Graduate Program fitted visitors with ice cleats, educated people about the history of ice harvesting and kept the fires burning in our warming stations. Members of the East Meredith Fire Department kept traffic flowing smoothly and were on hand in case of emergency. After cutting the ice blocks, visitors of all ages kept busy pulling sleds full of ice across the site to our ice house. 

Just as the weather cooperated prior to the event, the day itself could not have been more perfect, with clear blue skies and sparkling fresh snow. The ice was of good quality, clear and 11 inches thick. Around 400 ice blocks were cut, with the average block weighing in at 55 pounds. The ice house is full and that ice will be used to make ice cream during our Dairy at the Mill event on July 19, 2025. We hope to see you there!