VAN BUREN, Maine — A small group of northern Mainers may have once again broken world records with its most recent ice carousel.
The Northern Maine Ice Busters, a group which currently holds the world record for the largest ever ice carousel, may have shattered five new records over the weekend when it carved out the first ever international ice carousel between the United States and Canada.
Built on the St. John River between Van Buren and St. Leonard, New Brunswick, the spectacle is also the first to have the U.S.-Canada boundary running directly through the middle. The spinning ice disk could also win records for first carousel on a river and for having the highest value of vehicles on its surface, said Roger Morneault, lead organizer for the Northern Maine Ice Busters.
“Once it started to move and those machines started to pull it, it’s the fastest carousel we’ve ever spun,” Morneault said. “It would go around in like 10 minutes or less. It was almost making us dizzy for a while.”
Morneault is still in talks with the World Ice Carousel Association about verifying the records, he said Monday. The association monitors disc attempts throughout the world and tracks records.
If the disc turns out to be the first to be carved on a river, then by default it would also be the largest, Morneault said. The carousel, which was 190 feet in diameter, may also hold a record for having the highest combined value of equipment on top of it.
As part of the festivities over the weekend, three helicopters flew in to land in the center and some heavy winter vehicles drove out on the carousel. Each helicopter, according to Morneault, was around $1.4 million apiece. Some of the trucks were $180,000 apiece.
“We figured there was around $5 million worth of equipment on the carousel,” Morneault said.
The three helicopters that landed on the carousel belonged to friends of the Ice Busters, Morneault said. The landing brought more excitement and fanfare to the event.
If a trophy is made, he said it would likely emphasize that it’s the largest ice carousel with an international boundary running through it.
The event would not have been possible without the help of Canada Border Services Agency officials across the river in St. Leonard, New Brunswick, as well as U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Border Patrol, he said.
The Ice Busters usually make their ice carousels in April, and with this one being earlier in the year they ran into some issues related to ice erosion near the boat motors that propel the carousel.
“We’re not scientists, but we figured the black ice hadn’t gotten porous enough so the water couldn’t seep through it and erode it quickly. That’s the only thing we could think of,” Morneault said.
So they tied a Fat Truck off-road vehicle and a 1953 Sno-Cat groomer to the carousel and tugged it around with some straps.
Hundreds of guests flocked to Van Buren for the event, which featured three full days of festivities. Organizers prepped the carousel on the morning of Friday, March 14.
Events included live music by The Last Humans and French Toast, family events on Saturday and Sunday, snow tube sliding and an antique snowmobile show. The Gateway Snowmobile Club hosted a gala at the American Legion Hall. The weekend was capped with a live performance at the boat launch from Charlie Ouellette, a cornhole tournament and a closing ceremony.
The Ice Busters are seeking 501c3 nonprofit status so they can host fundraising events in the summer.
And though they may have shattered even more records this past weekend, group members aren’t resting on their laurels. Morneault said their next plan is to actually try to create an ice carousel in the summer, which may involve freezing a circle of ice in the middle of an unfrozen lake.
Morneault said he considers the event a massive success.
“I can’t think of a better time in the world to have done it as an international event between the United States and Canada,” he said. “I was very happy to have both those flags flying over that carousel.”
