SKOWHEGAN — An ice disk has formed in the Kennebec River near the Great Eddy in Skowhegan nearly one year after a rotating ice disk in Westbrook took the internet by storm.
Last January, a 300-foot wide circle of ice formed in the Presumpscot River and drew attention from national news outlets and curious spectators alike. The disk became so popular that the city gave it its own webcam, so people could track its daytime movements online.
The Skowhegan ice disk, which wasn’t rotating as of Tuesday afternoon, seems to be fairly new according to Mark Nickerson, 63, who lives in a home on Parkman Hill Road in Skowhegan which overlooks the Great Eddy where the disk is located.
Nickerson and his wife, Lidi Jiang, noticed the disk just this week. Nickerson said it’s the first ice disk he’s seen in the eddy since he moved into the house 25 years ago.
“I’ve lived here for probably 25 years and I don’t ever recall seeing something like this,” Nickerson said. “The front of my house is pretty much all windows so I noticed it because I look out at the river pretty much all the time.”
Nickerson said he’s also noticed more people stopping on or below the hill near his house to get a better look at the disk.
“A lot of people have stopped to take pictures or to look at it,” he said. “We had someone stop in our driveway earlier asking about it.”
Ice disks are common in the northern United States and Canada, and vary in size according to accuweather.com. The size of the Skowhegan ice disk has not been determined yet.
In November, a spinning ice disk was spotted in Haynesville in Aroostook County. Earlier this week, another ice disk appeared to be forming in the Presumpscot River in Westbrook. The mayor, Michael Foley, has invited people to come see this more ragged version, the webcam has been reactivated and anticipation is high.
Skowhegan, however, doesn’t have any plans to advertise the Kennebec River ice disk as of right now, according to Town Manager Christine Almand.
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