Here we are heading to the end of
snowmobiling season. We hope everyone enjoyed the trails this year.
We think we had an exceptional year and received a lot of compliments
on our trail grooming efforts, thanks to the fundraising and support
of our local businesses, and you, our members. The season sure does
seem to fly by faster each year. We were lucky we had the snowfall
we had this year, many areas of the State had little or no snow.
Easy Bucks winners for February were
Robert Dow and Thomas White. Thanks to Sandi Dumont for preparing a
delicious meal for the meeting. Rudy Davis, Rangeley Fire Chief,
attended the meeting and presented the Club with a Certificate of
Appreciation. We donated to the Fire Department’s fundraising program
last year when they were trying to raise enough money to purchase a
new snowmobile rescue sled. The March meeting will be held on March
13th at the Rangeley Region Guides and Sportsman’s
Clubhouse in Oquossoc. Dinner will be served at 6:30 PM with the
meeting to follow. Please try to attend. We had very small
attendance at the February meeting. It is very discouraging for the
people who prepare the meal to have so few people there and we need
your input for decisions that need to made at the meetings. Just
because the riding is coming to an end soon for the season, that
doesn’t mean we don’t have anything to discuss. There is next year
to think about, there is always room for improvements in some areas
and we need your help in the way of suggestions, etc.
We have had a lot of inquiries about
fundraising for a clubhouse. We sure do need a “home of our own”.
Since Peoples Choice Restaurant has closed, we are at a loss for a
place to hold our functions. David Schinas at the Rangeley Inn was
kind enough to let us hold our Snodeo events there and we surely do
appreciate that, but there just isn’t the room there that we had at
Peoples. A fundraising committee is being formed to get back to
work to raise money for a clubhouse and groomer barn. We started
raising money last year and raised approximately $6,000. This money
is in the bank. Club funds cannot be mixed with funds raised for the
club house. The first thing we have to do is find a suitable piece of
land and go from there. A donated piece of land would be the
ultimate, but that probably won’t happen If you would be
interested in serving on the fundraising committee and if you have any
fundraising ideas, please contact us by mail, e-mail or telephone at
(207) 864-9047. We will be meeting in the very near future to start
our fundraising campaign. You will be receiving information on our
tentative fundraising plans in the near future in a mailing to all
our members. We can do this!! But we need help from
everyone! And, no fundraising effort, no matter how small,
should be dismissed. I look at the beautiful Rehabilitation Center
we have here in Rangeley – that building was built and is being paid
for entirely by fundraising. So, It can be done.
Thank you to everyone who rides our trails for
being safety conscious. We had fewer accidents this year than we have
had in the past few years. That’s a good indication that we are using
the safety tips provided by the Maine Snowmobile Association and the
Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Thank you too, for
staying on the trails and not wandering off onto private property. As
far as I know, we had no complaints from any landowners. These
issues are important for the success of the club and the future of
snowmobiling in our area.
Until Next Month......
