Once again, Bob the barrel is on thin ice.
Between now and early May, everyone in Pinedale will eagerly await the time and date when the bright yellow barrel breaks through the nearly two-foot-thick layer of ice on Fremont Lake and bobs back to shore.
It’s the Pinedale Lions Club’s annual Fremont Lake Ice Off Guess, a tradition that goes back to at least 1940. The “Barrel Guess” is one of the Pinedale Lions’ longest-running fundraisers, as each $10 ticket helps fund their community initiatives in Sublette County.
“The lake froze a bit late this year, but there was a good 18 inches of ice where we placed the barrel,’” said Pinedale Lions Club member Jason Essington. “The club pays $500 to the person with the active ticket at the time the barrel hits the shore, and that could be anytime between now and the end of May."
Bob Breaks, Bobs And Lands
Essington said Bob the barrel has been sitting on the ice a few miles north of Fremont Lake’s south shore since the first weekend of March. The tradition is for Bob to be placed on the platform at the end of the Big Fish Winter Derby.
“It’s easy to see with binoculars from the Fremont Lake Overlook,” he said.
Since then, Bob hasn’t bobbed at all. The ice is thick and holding for now, which fits with the historical pattern observed and documented by Lions members and Pinedale residents over the decades.
“The most likely time for the ice to come off Fremont Lake is between the last week of April and the first week of May,” Essington said. “It doesn’t seem to correlate with when the lake freezes or how much ice there is when the barrel is set.”
It’s not spring in Wyoming until the cheerful yellow barrel named Bob in the middle of Fremont Lake breaks through the ice. Guessing when stuff breaks through the ice is a Pinedale tradition that goes back at least 85 years. (Pinedale Lions Club) 
It’s not spring in Wyoming until the cheerful yellow barrel named Bob in the middle of Fremont Lake breaks through the ice. Guessing when stuff breaks through the ice is a Pinedale tradition that goes back at least 85 years. (Courtesy Mindi Crabb) 
It’s not spring in Wyoming until the cheerful yellow barrel named Bob in the middle of Fremont Lake breaks through the ice. Guessing when stuff breaks through the ice is a Pinedale tradition that goes back at least 85 years. (Pinedale Lions Club) 
It’s not spring in Wyoming until the cheerful yellow barrel named Bob in the middle of Fremont Lake breaks through the ice. Guessing when stuff breaks through the ice is a Pinedale tradition that goes back at least 85 years. (Courtesy Mindi Crabb) 
It’s not spring in Wyoming until the cheerful yellow barrel named Bob in the middle of Fremont Lake breaks through the ice. Guessing when stuff breaks through the ice is a Pinedale tradition that goes back at least 85 years. (Courtesy Mindi Crabb)
Your Time Until Next Time
For $10, people can guess the date and time when Bob the Barrel reaches any shore of Fremont Lake. Depending on who bets when the winning window for each ticket holder could be between a few minutes and several days.
“When your date and time pass, your guess is still active,” Essington said. “It stays active until the next guess, so it really depends on who guesses when.
The two weeks between April and May have the best odds, but that doesn’t mean it’s consistent. Winning dates from the last 44 years range from April 12 to May 29.
The current tickets contain the winning dates and times stretching back to 1980. The winning guess of 2024 was 5:06 p.m. on April 24.
Last year, Essington received an exciting piece of local history: a Barrel Guess ticket from 1948 recording the dates and times of Bob’s arrival between 1940 and 1947.
“This two-week trend held even then,” he said.
Barrel Beneficiaries
No one knows when the Barrel Guess started in Pinedale, but the 1948 ticket confirms it’s had a place in the Pinedale community for at least 85 years. Current Pinedale Lions Club members have continued the tradition for almost 45 consecutive years, excluding 1981 (no ice) and 2018 (no barrel).
The proceeds from the Barrel Guess, minus the $500 prize, go directly into the Pinedale Lions Club project account. This account supports several programs in Sublette County, including eyeglass recycling, free diabetes testing, the Allen H. Stewart Lions Camp on Casper Mountain, and many others.
Essington said hundreds of people participate in the Fremont Lake Ice Off every year. Tickets are sold until March 31, so while the window is closed this year, everyone can still enjoy the anticipation of when the bright yellow barrel will bob back to shore.
“The Barrel Guess tends to be a breakeven deal,” Essington said. “It’s more fun than anything. People have been following this for a while, and it’s a great thing for our club and community."
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
