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Teal Lake Melt-Down complete

NEGAUNEE — The mining head frame replica that has been on Teal Lake since February, known as the Teal Lake Melt-Down, went down between 9 p.m. May 1 and 8:30 a.m. May 2.

Due to strong south winds and quickly melting ice pack the head frame structure drifted out of camera sight on an ice flow moving north on Teal Lake.

There is a back-up timing mechanism attached to the top of the structure, which stops after it enters the water. With the relocation of the structure and uncertainty of when the Marquette County Search and Rescue will be able to locate and retrieve the structure due to Michigan’s executive orders limiting activities because of COVID-19, it is uncertain when that will take place.

The Teal Lake Melt-Down is a community fundraiser benefiting the Negaunee Lions Club and the Greater Ishpeming-Negaunee Area Chamber of Commerce. Up until April 1, the community purchased tickets to take a guess at when the head frame would sink and become completely submerged, with the winner being the closest guess to the time.

This year an online ticket purchase outlet was set up after physical tickets sales were suspended. The online purchase form will be used again for next year’s Teal Lake Melt-Down and will be available soon. There is an incentive to purchase tickets because in the event there is a tie of the winning time, the winner is decided by who purchased the ticket first.

The contest committee decided the prize of $1,586 will be split between two winners with tickets on both sides of the estimated sinking. The winners are Roger Holman of Palmer, who guessed 4:02 p.m. May 1, and Gary Suardini of Negaunee, with a guess of 9:32 p.m. May 2.

This is the fourth year that the Negaunee Lions Club has held this fundraiser, and the first year the Greater Ishpeming-Negaunee Area Chamber of Commerce has partnered with it.

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