MADAWASKA, Maine — The Northern Maine Ice Busters broke the record for the world's largest ice carousel Saturday.
The group created an ice carousel that measured 1,776 feet in diameter. The ice disk was 56 acres, weighing about 140,000 tons. The carousel made a full revolution within 2.5 hours Saturday afternoon during the group's second attempt of the day.
"This is nuts. Just eight hours [before] I didn't think we could do it," Roger Morneault, the mastermind behind the attempt, said.
Earlier on Saturday, the group was having trouble getting the disk to spin, it only moved 3 feet.
The group had attached 10 motors, including a motor from a potato harvester, to get the disk moving. The boat motors, however, kept freezing up.
"From ultimate defeat this morning when the snow was coming down and everything's frozen up and the motors aren't going and it was like 'ugh, disaster,'" Morneault said.
The group kept its spirits high and decided to reconvene after lunch.
"We did get it to move, so we'll get her to go all the way around," Justin Albert said.
After the boat motors continued to freeze up, these Mainers were able to get the disk spinning by pulling Morneault's truck on the disk.
"The next thing we know we're just driving along, of course, we're not really moving according to the lake but the carousel is moving under us," Morneault said.
Less than 2.5 hours later, the carousel made a full revolution. Finland held the previous record with an ice carousel that measured 1,692 feet in diameter.
This is the Northern Maine Ice Buster's third world record in five years. Its latest record was in April 2021 when members made a 27-acre circular disk of ice measuring 1,234 feet in diameter, according to a release.
"The Northern Maine Ice Busters just come together. It's just something magical that happens," Mike Cyr, a group member, said. "We're all just people who have our own occupations, and we work at the mill and whatnot and when it comes to doing something as a community we just come together."
Roger Morneault was in Finland to help cut the carousel that previously set the record. Four former record holders from Minnesota and others from Canada were in attendance this weekend.