On a frozen Crooked Lake in mid-January, the choices for fun are few. The ice is 13 inches thick. But that won’t stop Dan Anderson of Andover.
"My motto is: you only go around once,… or twice," Anderson said.
He built a box on skis with a chainsaw attached, which he calls the 'Ice Master 3000.' The entire rig is anchored to a center point and pushed along, as it cuts into the ice, by two people. It will be Anderson’s fourth annual carousel creation.
"We're actually going to do two cuts this year, two carousels,” Anderson said. “One in the center about 25 feet in diameter and the big one's going to be 100 feet in diameter."
Along with lots of help from neighbors and friends, it takes hours for Anderson and company to cut the massive sheets of ice.
By about 4 p.m. the carousels are finally moving. And they have been decorated with pine trees and a pair of blow up reindeer.
"It's going once around about every six minutes," Anderson said.
Which is thanks to a couple of strategically placed trolling motors.
"Probably puts out 30 to 50 pounds of thrust, running at about half speed," Anderson added.
The entire spectacle draws in friends and neighbors who live along Crooked Lake. Hot chocolate and cookies are served for free.
Dan's wife, Ginger, did some of the baking while neighbors brought treats to share. Ginger said she supports her husband Dan with all his projects.
"He's a project guy and he loves doing this kind of stuff, and he's not a quitter," Ginger Anderson said.
After dark, Dan Anderson's grand finale was to light up the night with fire on the ice carousel. It’s something residents of Crooked Lake won't soon forget.