The organizer of an annual north metro contest was faced with a riddle this year: Keep the name, or come up with something new?

The name? The White Bear Lake Ice-Out Contest.

After a surge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions this winter, Alan Haskins, the contest’s founder, started having second thoughts.

“I kept seeing images of ‘ICE Out’ signs at protests, and I thought about using something else, but there was no logical next alternative,” Haskins said. “‘Frozen water out’ doesn’t really work.’”

Haskins, the owner of Nimble Impressions, a marketing agency in White Bear Lake, decided to stick with the original name for the contest, which also includes Bald Eagle Lake. The contest is open now and runs until the ice comes off both lakes.

“I am certainly sensitive and compassionate about the impact the presence of ICE has had on our amazing state,” Haskins said. “I am trying to view the terminology cross-over as a purely unfortunate occurrence.”

He’s betting people will disregard the coincidence.

“I think it is reasonable to believe that people can understand the difference between the upcoming melting ice on our 10,000-plus lakes and everything else that is happening,” Haskins said. “Our contest has always been free of politics and will remain that way forever.”

Started during pandemic

The Ice-Out Contest is one of the country’s largest, according to Haskins, who created the contest in 2020 as a way to help local businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. The prize pool in 2025 was more than $3,500, and this year’s is tracking to be even bigger, he said.

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Rules are simple: one entry per person. Entries must include prediction of ice-out date(s) for one or both lakes. There is no fee to enter. The deadline to submit entries will be determined later, Haskins said.

Winners will be declared after the White Bear Lake Conservation District makes the ice-out official. Conservation district officials are responsible for declaring an ice-out on White Bear Lake, Haskins said, while he handles declaring ice-out on Bald Eagle Lake.

The earliest ice-out date officially recorded for White Bear Lake was March 8, 2024; the latest was May 4 in both 2018 and 1950. For Bald Eagle Lake, the earliest ice-out date recorded was March 8, 2024; the latest was May 2, 2018.

Haskins said Bald Eagle Lake had 22 inches of ice when he measured it on Sunday.

“There’s plenty of ice out there that has to melt,” he said, “so it’s not going to go quick.”

To enter, go to rallywba.com.