7839-R1_MSA_Dec2021_MaineSnowmobiler

MSA Club News

that faithfully served him through the earlier years with the homemade wooden drag on the back. As he grew older, he retired up here and he bought a small Bombi and drag but soon found that too difficult to get in and out of! From there he bought a big Ford tractor. He went out in it once with his crew of helpers following behind! It was Al in the groomer, John Brown, Darryl Cote, Pete and myself on sleds. As I recall it was a pretty cold winter day. We made it out to the Gauntlett for the turnaround! It took about a half an hour to get that thing turned and heading back in the right direction! We all stopped at the intersec- tion up there and roasted some hot dogs for lunch. Still nothing like a hot dog cooked over an open fire out on the trail! At that point we made the decision to keep going out to Ber- nies’ Boulevard. That was another 45 minutes to make the turnaround. It was getting colder and our Fearless Leader Chief Sagamore was getting tired. We finally made it back around 7 o’clock that Sunday night. Shortly after that it went up for sale. It was not to be. From there he bought a Ski Doo Skandic with a Hiss drag. It didn’t get much trail time as Al was suffering from poor health at that point. He sold the sled and drag to the Ebeemee Snow- mobile Club and the following year we put it to good use. It’s still a good sled to this day and still in service for the club! The point of this little history lesson is never give up on your dreams. The Ebeemee Snow- mobile Club has found a way to make Chief Sagamore’s Dream come true! We have a big machine, the BR275 with an 18-10 Mogul Master and we are laying down the white car- pet for all to enjoy! I know he is looking down at us and smiling when he sees “Sagamore’s Dream” cutting a path through the Great North Woods! I for one am proud to have been able to help bring the dream to life for Al… mak- ing Ebeemee Snowmobile Club trails the best they can be for all to enjoy! If not for Al, I might never have met the amazing group of friends I have come to know as the Sagamore Wanderers! We miss you Al but we know you are watching over all of us and occasionally shaking your head in disbelief! At a recent meeting it was asked why the machine was sometimes referred to as Sagamore’s Dream. It’s because it was Sagamore’s Dream. Again, never give up on your dreams! Now let’s get that clubhouse built! Start that SNOWDANCE with enthusiasm! It’s going to be a great winter! Laurie Plourde

are looking for a fun day of work with a good group of friends.

PINE TREE sc Milford, ME Hello Fellow Snowmobilers

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still have lots of trail work to complete, but we are doing our best to handle things con- sidering how wet this fall has been! We have handled one bridge replacement and upgrade project already, and have done bush hogging of our trail system as time and dry ground have permitted. We’ve also been doing some of the final work needed to our Blazer that we are hoping to be able to have out grooming the trails this winter! We are still trying to get out every week- end to do trail work, as weather permits, in order to make sure the trails are as close to 100% as possible. Feel free to reach out to us on Facebook or drop us a line at paulbunyan- scbangor@hotmail.com for details on when and where we will be working as we’d love to include anyone who is interested in helping out! Volunteers are ALWAYS welcome and VERY MUCH appreciated, many hands make light work!! We’re continuing to recognize some of our business members throughout this sea- son, with a big thank you to DP Morrissey in Glenburn this month! They’ve been a very supportive member of the club and are very much valued and appreciated by all of us! If you’re in need of earth work, snow removal, tractor services, etc. and in the area, please try to support DP Morrissey as they have been a great support to us! We generally hold our meetings on the second Wednesday of each month during the season, and would love to have anyone who is interested join us! We usually post meeting information on our Facebook page ahead of time, but feel free to email or message us on Facebook with any questions! All of us at the Paul Bunyan Snowmo- bile Club hope that you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and we wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Sincerely, Paul Phillips - President EBEEMEE sc Brownville, ME Hello fellow Snowmobilers! How about something a little different this month? I know I have mentioned Al Van Knowe many times as he was a key figure up here in Ebeemee. There are many of us who learned our way around the woods up here from Al. And there are those of us that referred to him as “Chief Sagamore”. The name of his camp was Sagamore’s Wander Inn. Third place in on Ebeemee Lake Road. The good old days. Al’s passion was snowmobiling. I believe that was the main reason he chose this beauti- ful area to recreate in. Part of that passion was the Ebeemee Snowmobile Club which was formed in the mid 70’s by a core group that had the same passion. I want to thank all of those came before us and who had the vision. Without it, Ebeemee Snowmobile Club just wouldn’t be! Now onto Al… Al was key to that core group. Al started snowmobiling in the area in 1972 after hunting up here since the late 50’s. He went to work making trails or improving what existed. He spread the word to friends and family and lo and behold, we formed friendships that would stand the test of time. We started referring to our gang as the Sagamore Wanderers! Just a bunch of snowmobile lovers that got together to explore and ride every weekend and at the end of the ride shared many potluck dinners and stories. I’m sure many of you share the same types of relationships with like-minded friends! During those trips and dinners, Al became our fearless leader “Chief Sagamore”! Our Chief Sagamore always dreamed of grooming in a big machine. His dream was that he was going to win the lottery, build a big clubhouse with a bowling alley on the second floor and a groomer shed for the big machine on the ground floor. Through the years we watched as Al purchased a few different types of groomers. He had his Yamaha VK

I can’t believe I am working on December club news. Actually, we do have some club news. We had our November Club meeting. It was potluck and it was delicious. We hosted our Public Pancake and French Toast Break- fast on November 21st. It was so nice to see everyone coming into the club and enjoying a great breakfast, as well as some welcome conversations. Thanks to all of our workers, John Sibley, Janet Murphy, Dana Carson, and our President, Pat Smith. The meals were delicious. We are looking forward to future activities in December. On the 6th we have a Director’s Meeting at 6 PM, and on the 8th we have our potluck supper and Christmas Party. Anyone wishing to participate should bring a gift with a value up to $10 dollars. We ask that anyone who brings a child should bring a gift for their child. Looking ahead to January, we are planning to host our Sunday Breakfasts at the Club- house. At this time, we are looking forward to the breakfasts, but if we have to postpone or cancel these breakfasts, we will post it on our Facebook account. We will also put a note outside of the Clubhouse informing everyone that we had to cancel. Because of Covid 19, we just aren’t sure at this time. But we have high hopes. Thanks to all the guys that have been work- ing this fall on the trails. I don’t have all the names of the volunteers. I will try to update that in a future newsletter. Thank you to everyone who has done some of this work. Well folks, I wish everyone a very happy and healthy holiday season. Kathy Carson Hard to believe it’s December already! It’s a crazy couple of years, we are trying to find a new normal so that we can get our clubhouse fully functional and get back to serving bi-weekly public suppers as well as weekend breakfast during our snowy winter months. Let’s hope this winter sends us much more weather that enables us to get the trails groomed and us out on them! A good freeze and then SNOW!!!!! Lots of it! We had a booth at the MSA trade show in Augusta where there was a decent turn out. We were able to distribute the 2022 Katahdin area trail maps and talk up our region with many who stopped by our booth. We brought the 1967 Ski Doo from our Museum that bears the registration ME1 to display in the antique sled area. Folks were excited to see that sled and reminisce about “back in the day”. Plans are being discussed for Breakfast on December 4th which is the date of the Millinocket Marathon & Half as well as for the Annual Snow Ball Cancer Ride January 22, 2022 and the Antique sled parade Friday February 18, 2022 kicking off Katahdin Area Winter Fest. Please see our Facebook page or website for more details as the dates approach. Wishing everyone a safe healthy holiday season. Hope to see you out there on the trail. Until next time, ride right, ride safe! Patti Rioux Secretary GRAND LAKE sc Grand Lake Stream, ME I hope you all have your snow machines ready. The fun is about to start. Here in GLS, once we get a snow base, we don’t lose it until April. No matter how little snow we get, I’ll ride on that 3” base to check out camp’s or visit my ice fishing friends. You can’t zoom along, but you can get out there and enjoy the outdoors. “The Usual’s”, our work crew, have rebuilt the Amazon Trail Bridge. Other work is planned. Talk to Les, our Trail Master if you NORTHERN TIMBER CRUISERS Millinocket, ME

The Pine Tree Store is open 7:00 to 6:00, or later according to customer business. They have a wide menu, supplies, equipment, trail maps, gifts and plenty of ethanol free gasoline. I like the Rubin, Steak & Cheese, Chicken Burger, Chicken Tenders, Chicken Wings, subs, and Mike’s Heart Attack Meatball Sub, named after that good looking club reporter. When I buy a pizza, I ask for thin crust. A Big Mc pizza is the latest menu addition. I first refused to try it, but when I did, WOW. What- ever you order, you can’t go wrong. TRAIL PROBLEM: Call 796-5027, Les. He and Robert will solve or assign the problem. You probably have seen them in our Snow Rabbit, professional groomer, keeping our town open to snowmobilers. HELP NEEDED: Call 796-5027, Les and Brinda. TRAIL CONDITIONS: See www.mesnow. com. Updated weekly. LODGING: Yes, call 796-5027, Les & Brinda. CLUB MEETINGS: 2 nd Wednesday of the month @ 6:00, at the fire station or clubhouse. Please ride our trails and make our friendly little town a stop on your snowmobile adven- tures. I guarantee you will come back. miker- emillard@mgemaine.com. EXETER CROSS COUNTRY CRUISERS Exeter, ME Trunk or Treat 2021

PENOBSCOT sc Hermon, ME

As the 2021 calendar year is nearing an end, we are hoping for a great 2021/2022 snowmobiling season for all to enjoy. Exeter Cross Country Cruisers held a Trunk or Treat on October 30th at the Exeter Town Office with the help of Alan Swett, MSA Executive Vice-President. Alan brought a trailer with two snowmobiles and lots of handouts. The club handed out over 100 bags of candy to kids attending. The club is working hard to get the trails ready for snow with an upcoming workday to build a couple bridges and re-route a section of trail. The club has reached out to new landowners for permission to continue using the existing trails and make any changes the landowner may have. A reminder to all snowmobilers that the landowner is giving you permission to ride on the trails across their land. “Respect the landowner and Stay on Marked (Continued on Page 14)

Hello again, The season is fast approaching and trail work has beguna. As of right now we have nothing major just basic maintenance. We are hoping for a good snow season this year so we can really make those trails mint for everyone. Our raffle drawing for the 2022 Skidoo Ren- egade 600 Sport will be on December 18th at Bangor Motorsports. We are hoping to bring it live to you on Facebook if you can’t make it! Thank you to Bangor Motorsports for the opportunity to purchase this sled for our raffle. Just remember as soon as snow falls and trails are groomed the club house will be open for food on the weekends! Respectfully, Andrew Jackson

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