You could have lived in Presque Isle, Maine, for the rest of your life without snow. Some people may be happy to hear that, others not. That is exactly what the city council thought on March 5, when they voted against a liquified melting product called “Melt-Tha-Sno.” The product would have been released into stores in Presque Isle. It is made from concentrated plasma. That plasma is provided by a meteor that crashed into the Loring Air Force Base in the 1960s. It can make snow instantly vanish.
Presque Isle scientist Dwayne Drake invented “Melt-Tha-Sno.” “Before my father passed away, he gave me his research. He told me his secret. He said, ‘Son, there was something that landed at the Air Force base when I was 25. That thing is the key to making this town snowless every winter.” Drake wasn’t convinced at first. “I thought, give me break Dad. Don’t try to be funny on your dying day. But he was telling the truth,” Drake said.
The city council members gave Drake their joint statement, unanimously voting against his product. “Dr. Drake, your product is ambitious but unnatural. Too many people would lose jobs and people who fish and snowmobile would leave town. Economically, it isn’t best for the town.”
Others have different opinions on why the product should or shouldn’t be sold. “I only live here while I go to school. More home baseball games and fewer snow days would be great,” Steve Strobel, a University of Maine at Presque Isle junior, said.
“No, no, no. You can’t mess with Mother Nature. Those meteorites will be heading for us next,” churchgoer Mark Hudson said.
A Facebook group made up of 432 Aroostook County citizens has joined together in its disapproval at the city council’s reaction. Most of the people within the group are out-of-state students. This has raised the question about who really belongs in this town. People who live in town year round are mostly against public consumption of the product. Some others would like to drive with clear roads. The Facebook Group has posted about a joint operation where they use “Melt-Tha-Sno” in squirt guns to eliminate most of the snow in town. The problem with their argument is that not having snow doesn’t change how cold it is outside.
Dwayne Drake validated the Facebook Group. “Melt-Tha-Sno in liquid form eliminates the snow in 10 seconds after it touches it. It doesn’t melt: it vanishes entirely. The Facebook group of 432 people could eliminate 75 percent of the snow in eight hours if each of them have the product. The weather itself will not change if the snow is gone.”
Snowmobilers and people who plow snow are the happiest with the council’s verdict. “Without snow, I wouldn’t be able to feed my three kids,” snow plowman Alan Gorman said. “If I can’t go sledding in the winter what else is there to do up here? The weather would still be cold without snow. Way more people would leave town,” snowmobiler Jenette Connor said.
Drake is accepting of the verdict. He is proud of his work. “I wanted to create something that helps people. If it doesn’t help everyone, so be it. It would have been $24.99 for a 12-ounce can. So, I would’ve gotten rich, and it would’ve been too expensive to buy for a whole winter.” Drake is so proud of his work that he still wants to sell his product. “I can try to make something for kids. One of those gimmicky toys that can melt a tiny bit of snow.” He added sarcastically, “Maybe I’ll keep the price.”
Drake will continue to work on products that benefit people. He gets something out of his creation, even if it means advertising a $5 value children’s toy for $24.99.
