MILLBURY, Mass. - Following a long stretch of cold weather, dozens of people got out on Lake Singletary in Millbury for the Millbury Fire Department’s annual ice fishing derby.

Retired firefighter Francis King helped launch the event 38 years ago, and it always coincides with a pancake breakfast inside the fire station which helps raise money for scholarships, local youth sports and other community causes.

King said while the breakfast always goes off without a hitch, unpredictable New England winters can sometimes cause the ice fishing to get cancelled. Fortunately, unlike the past five years, weather has been cooperative.

“We just brought it back this year, this is the first year we’ve had ice that’s been safe,” King said. “We sponsor Bring a Kid Fishing, and they have 27 kids out there and roughly 118 adults.”

King said the ice on Lake Singletary was roughly 8-10 inches thick on Sunday, and the department always follows MassWildlife guidelines for ice safety.

While no ice can truly be considered safe, the MassWildlife website has information on how thick the ice must be for foot traffic, snowmobiles, ATVs and other vehicles.