Just when springtime is starting to feel like an impossibly distant fantasy, along comes this great rebirth of a 70 year-old tradition: “Guess When The Car Will Tumble Through The Ice.” Suddenly, it gives us something to look forward to again.
This charity event, being held in Iron Mountain, Michigan, comes courtesy of the Rotary Club up there. One of its members donated the Saturn, which has been painted by students at a local vocational school, reports Autoblog. Don’t worry about the environmental impact; all of the car’s fluids have been drained, the drivetrain removed, and the Saturn is even tethered to a tree nearby for easier extraction when it finally takes the plunge.
The person who most closely guesses the exact time and date of the car’s plummet will win $1,000. The Detroit Free Press spoke with the Iron Mountain-Kingsford Rotary Club, who put the “Car Plunge Contest” together at the suggestion of member Jeff DeRidder. He grew up around Iron Mountain, and fondly recalls seeing cars parked on the lake as a child for similar bets among locals.
Seeing the tradition revived in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, we can’t help but have a similar childish fixation with the stunt. At the least, it’s a fun, innocent way to count down the days before spring arrives.
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