Are we talking about winter of “75/76 or winter 76/77?
The winter 77/78 was also bad at least in upstate NY..(we got snow plastered in Binghamton,NY)!
I can’t remember which it was but it was cold
Very near by is Warrior Path State Park. My neighbors took our kids down to see the solidly frozen Duck Island lagoon. We returned and I dug out the ice skates of yor and we tried out ice skating. A ranger came and told us ice skating was not allowed and was critical of me for allowing the endangerment of my kids.
I had walked out to the middle and with my rock hammer pick, dug a hole to measure the 4” thickness. He didn’t believe it and insisted we quit