What an incredible winter we have had and it just doesn’t want to quit.  As I sit here writing this newsletter I am looking out at 2 ft. of new snow and it’s the end of March!

Grooming will continue until Spring weather forces us to stop or we run out of funds.  It looks like we may have 2 or 3 more weeks of good riding.  Just a guesstimate!

Thanks to the efforts of Julie Ferguson of Rev-It-Up Sports, we have a new place for our monthly membership meetings.  We will be meeting at the Congregational Church Hall which is located on the corner of Pleasant and High Streets in Rangeley.  Membership meetings are always held on the second Saturday of each month with social hour at 5:30 PM, dinner at 6:30 PM and meeting to follow.  Julie will be cooking dinner for the April and May meetings, club secretary and Karen Worcester will be cooking dinner for the June meeting.  June is our final meeting until September.  We are hoping for volunteers to step up and offer their services for cooking the meals at some of our meetings.  We are planning at least one “pot luck” dinner next Fall.  Please let Gail know at the Club address if you would be interested in preparing a meal for one of our meetings next season.  Julie’s menu for the April 14^th meeting is Baked Ham, Baked Potato, corn and carrots, Gingerbread with whipped cream. (menu subject to change without notice) Coffee, soda and spring water will be available.  Cost for the meal is $6.00 per person and $3.00 for children under age 12.  What a bargain!   Please try to attend.   I will try to list the menu in each newsletter for the following dinner meeting.

Easy Bucks winners for March were Richard Angelo of Somerville, Mass and Greg Silloway of Falmouth Me.  This is the second time Greg has won this year.  Neither were present so they were sent a $50 check.  We plan to continue Easy Bucks next season.   We haven’t given a $100 prize out yet.  Every winner has been absent when their number was drawn, so instead of winning $100, they won $50. 

The June meeting is our election of officers for the next season.  We need new faces for the Board of Directors.  To be on this Board, you must be a member of the Club and the MSA.  (MSA membership is automatic when you join the club)  The Board of Directors meet on the Thursday before the membership meetings and every other Thursday evening during the winter months.    Also, anyone who is interested in running for an office (President, Vice-President, Secretary or Treasurer), please write to the club and let us know so your name can be put on the ballot.  Keep in mind that these positions require total dedication and a lot of time.   We had some Board of Directors meetings this year where we didn’t have a quorum so we had to cancel the meeting.  We need people on the Board who will attend the meetings - we need input from everyone when making decisions.

The Rangeley Lakes Snowmobile Club has a total of 313 members at the present time and we are hoping to get the MSA award for the largest club in the State of Maine again this year.  Memberships cannot be taken after the end of March.

You will notice that a separate sheet is being enclosed showing  business donations for this year.  A few more donations have been received since this was printed and an update will be listed at the end of this newsletter.

As most of you know, last year we divided the Rangeley Trail  System into three districts with a Trail Master for each.  This has worked out well so far and we plan to continue operating this way next season.  The trails have been better than ever this year, partly due to Mother Nature’s blessings and the dedication of our Trailmasters and Groomer Drivers.  Thank you to everyone involved in the grooming program!  Let’s hope for another great winter next year!

Thanks to the donations from local businesses, the surrounding municipalities, and our dedicated members, we have been able to “stay in the black” with our budget, but it’s tight.  There is no “extra” money.  We use our total budget to keep the program operating successfully for everyone’s enjoyment.   We certainly could use some new ideas for raising money for our trail system.   If you have any suggestions for an “off-season” event, etc. (or any ideas at all) for fundraising, please let us know.  

Please visit our Sponsors page to check out businesses who have donated or pledged to donate to our grooming and trail maintenance program for this season.

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