Mathewson crowned Hancock Ice Out champ

Haley Mathewson, 12, won Hancock’s Ice Out contest this year. The little church went through the thinning ice on Norway Pond at 12:58 p.m on March 21. Mathewson’s guess was closest of all the entries, at 12:45 p.m. that day. Proceeds from the raffle are split 50-50, with half the winnings going towards maintenance of the Meetinghouse and the vestry of the Hancock Congregational Church. The winner’s purse this year was $534. Mathewson said she was thinking about using the prize to buy a gift for her brother, another for her soccer trainer, a FitBit and wireless headphones for herself, and to save the rest. This year, the Ice Out Committee had to mail her winnings  rather than congratulate her in person.