Here it is already – 2004! Hope everyone had a
great Christmas and New Year!
The weather has not been cooperating with us.
We started out the season with two huge snowstorms followed by rain
and it’s been unusually warm the past week. The trails are rideable
but not in perfect condition. There are some water holes on the trail
and hazardous conditions. Keep your fingers crossed for some colder
weather soon and snow. Remember to check the web page or call the
Snowphone at 207-864-7336 for latest conditions before you come to
Rangeley to ride. We try to be as accurate as we can with our trail
reports.
The groomers have been going out and the guys
have been working hard to bring the trails back to good condition. We
have re-routed trails around some of the water holes and tried to
drain the water out of some of them, but there are a few out there
that just can’t be fixed until they freeze up and we have more snow
cover. Mother Nature has promised to help us out in the next couple
of weeks...... We’ll see if she keeps her promise.
The Christmas Party was a great success. Many
thanks to Ginny and Pete at Saddleback Motor Lodge for the great
dinner. The 50/50 raffle was won by Carol Lee Savage and she donated
half of her winnings back to the Club. Thanks Carol!
Last month I sent out the
SNODEO
agenda with the Newsletter. There has been a change in the program.
We are not going to be holding the Obstacle Course race this year due
to lack of volunteers to run the event. Also, I forgot to include on
the agenda that we will have the antique snowmobile display again this
year. Alan Whitford arranges this event and it’s a great show – worth
the take. Some very unusual sleds show up from all over New England
and it’s so interesting to see what technology has done for
snowmobiling. So far, this is the only change on the program. Hope
to see you all here for Snodeo.
The December Easy Bucks winners
were Paul DeLong and Alexander Burke. Neither were present so they
won $50. It’s not too late to get in on this lottery-type contest.
We have 6 more months to draw winners for this season.
More information,
or contact me by
e-mail.
We will continue to hold our meetings at the
Rangeley Guides and Sportsman’s Club House in Oquossoc for the
remainder of the season. The next meeting is January 10th
at 6:30 with a dinner preceding the meeting. We sure would like to
meet some of you folks so if you’re in the area that weekend riding,
please stop by and join us.
It’s not too late to get in on the drawing for
the Polaris Classic 550
that will be given away on
SNODEO weekend. If you need
tickets, please let me know.
Enclosed you will find ten tickets for the 50/50
raffle to be drawn on Friday night of Snodeo Weekend. This is a huge
raffle and even if you cannot attend Snodeo, we like to give you the
opportunity to get in on the drawing. Just fill out the side of the
ticket with Your name and address and send that side of the ticket to
the club with $1 for each ticket you purchase. Keep in mind that all
fundraising done by the Club is used to maintain the trails and keep
them in the best possible condition for your enjoyment.
We do have a Clubhouse fund. Last year we
started raising money to build a Club House and for whatever reason,
this seemed to become a dead issue. The money, (close to $6,000) is
in an account at the bank and is earmarked for a future clubhouse.
With the loss of People’s Choice as a facility to hold our functions,
especially SNODEO,
the need for a clubhouse has become even greater. We would be
interested in hearing from anyone with thoughts on this. I understand
there was a comment at our last function as to what happened to the
money raised for the clubhouse. Please be assured that the money was
not used for anything else, it is still there and will be used for a
clubhouse.........someday.
Although memberships have been coming in daily,
many of you have not re-joined the club this year. This will
absolutely be your last newsletter if you haven’t joined for this
season. You will be getting a letter from us with a membership form
soon asking you to reconsider joining the club. We have received the
trophy from the MSA for the past six years for having the largest club
in the State of Maine. This is a prestigious award and we would like
to keep it here. Please help us out!!!! We know of one club (last
year received second place award) that is giving their all to beat us
out of the trophy this year. If you know anyone who rides our trail
system, please encourage him or her to join. The money generated from
club dues is a large part of our fundraising to maintain the trails.
Remember –
SNODEO is January 22, 23, 24th
and promises to be a great time. See you there!!!
Until Next Month......
