The four South Bristol residents who traveled to Fort Kent Jan. 14-17 to cut ice for a unique, 80-foot by 28-foot ice castle reported a successful weekend.
For two days, Ken, Todd and Kyle Lincoln and Alden Colby worked from first light until sundown, cutting 600-700, 350-pound ice blocks from Black Lake.
The crew and local volunteers fought “brutal” weather conditions Sunday as the temperature dipped to zero degrees, accompanied by winds of 30 miles per hour.
The Fort Kent Chamber of Commerce found Ken Lincoln, president of the Thompson Ice House Preservation Corporation, through the organization’s website. Lincoln and the crew brought an antique ice saw from the Ice House as well as decades of expertise.
The numerous volunteers in Fort Kent “had never seen an ice saw,” Kyle Lincoln said. “They thought we were going to use chainsaws.”
After the harvest and with the assistance of a local trucking company, the ice made its way to the construction site of the castle near downtown Fort Kent. Local masons Norman Plourde & Sons are leading construction efforts.
According to Jesse Jalbert, executive director of the Greater Fort Kent Area Chamber of Commerce, the castle will transform into a temporary nightclub during the International Biathlon Union World Cup, set to begin Feb. 10.
