On thin ice: No Igloo Bar on Lake of the Woods — yet
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Usually by Christmas, there is an igloo-shaped bar operating on the ice of Lake of the Woods, where you can order food and drink, watch satellite tv and, of course, go ice fishing.
Not this winter, said Nick Painovich, the owner of the Zippel Bay Resort which runs the Igloo Bar. This is the first year in its about 15-year history that the novelty bar has not been open by the holidays.
“I can’t think of a year where we’ve been this late,” said Painovich, who has run the resort with his wife Deanna Painovich for nearly 50 years. “But this is a record year for temperatures being this warm.”
The bar is located about two miles offshore. Painovich said the ice needs to be at least 20 inches thick to tow the bar by truck. He estimates they need another six to eight inches before that can happen safely.
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The “igloo” is a 1,000-square-foot structure made of spray foam. Inside are around 20 tables as well as a bar, with hot running water. The Igloo Bar is warmed by a propane heater to 70 degrees, “just like your home,” Painovich said. He said folks typically drive straight up to the bar from their fishing holes.
“We have heated porta potties on the ice and everything is first class,” Painovich said. “So at the end of the evening when it gets dark and the fish quit biting, you can drive over there and enjoy the camaraderie.”
The temperatures are dropping, Painovich said, so he’s hoping the bar will be operating by mid-January. Then it will be open six days a week through mid-March.
“We plan on having it out there, but until it's safe to put it out there we’re just waiting on Mother Nature to give us a little more ice,” he said.