| | A block of ice is cut at last year’s Millers Mills Old-Fashioned Ice Harvest. (Photo submitted) | |
MILLERS MILLS – The annual Millers Mills Old-Fashioned Ice Harvest returns to Millers Mills Sunday, Feb. 10. Millers Mills Grange members will begin the harvesting of the ice at 11 a.m. and continue until the ice house is full. Every attempt is made to preserve the authenticity of an old-fashioned ice harvest. All the work – sawing, separating, and loading the ice onto horse-drawn sleighs – is done using hand tools. The only exception is the use of an antique, gas-powered machine to score the ice the day before. This insures that the blocks are relatively uniform in size and easier to cut. Visitors are encouraged to take a turn at cutting, provided the ice is not too thin. Ice harvesting has been a common occurrence in Millers Mills since its founding by Andrew Miller over two centuries ago. At first, the ice was needed to preserve food, and later to cool farmers’ milk. Once electricity was in use, the church, and later the grange, continued harvesting ice to make ice cream for their summer socials. Today, the Millers Mills Ice Harvest has become a nationally known community effort to preserve and share a small facet of rural American heritage. Members of the Eastern Regional Draft Horse Association and their teams of draft horses haul the ice from the Millers Mills pond to the ice house across from the community church. Packed in sawdust and snow, the ice blocks last well into the following summer. The empty sleighs provide rides for visitors back to the pond and the grange hall. At the grange, spectators can warm up with homemade soup, hot dogs, doughnuts and hot chocolate. Chili, baked goods and a bazaar can be found at the Millers Mills Community Baptist Church. Jim Parker’s folk art is available at both sites, and Allen Hills’ designer clothing can be purchased at the grange hall. A historical exhibit on the ice harvest will also be on display at the grange hall. Millers Mills is located in the town of Columbia in extreme southern Herkimer County. Take Millers Mills Road off Route 51 between Route 20 and Cedarville. Additional parking will be available this year. Watch for signs for parking. Admission and parking are free. For more information, visit the Millers Mills Grange website, www.millersmillsny.com or contact Dave Huxtable, 315-822-5283, or Judy Guske, 315-822-3003.
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