7909-R2_MSA_Mar2022_MaineSnowmobiler

MSA Club News

Maine plaque made by James Stedman, for riding the furthest on snowmobile to the meet- ing. Thank you, James. The following morning we had breakfast at 7 at the Northern Timber Cruisers S.C. and headed back to Leeds, stopped in Dexter for gas and a bite to eat. Spoke with a Game War- den, and then with Mr. Lord. Our own Jack Lord. He saw us first and pulled his car up next to us. Then we went on our merry way. A total of 238 miles back to Leeds. A total of 611 miles, what a great adventure! I know some of the riders reading this could cut the ride down to 200 miles. Some of the signage had the influence of Mark Chinook and some did not. We had the aid of the MSAmap, snowmo- bile trail GPS, and used a highway GPS, and still got detoured. A lot of effort goes into trail work, but with the lack of signage, there is a trail that goes to “Who Knows Where?” Respectfully submitted, Brad Hello all, I’d like to start this letter by thanking every- one who put in the effort with trail work, bridge rebuilding, grooming and all the main- tenance on the equipment we use to get the jobs done when and wherever needed. You are the ones who keep us going year after year. Our members are so supportive and are greatly appreciated, we thank you! The dona- tions that have come in along with the mem- berships are absolutely amazing! Unfortunately, we weren’t able to have our poker rally this year but we’re hoping to come up with other ideas on how to raise more money for the club to help with all the expenses it takes to keep things moving for- ward. We welcome any and all ideas and look forward to trying something new. Hopefully winter will be better for everyone next year and we look forward to hosting the poker rally at the Chapel in 2023. If you’re still riding when the next newslet- ter comes out, please be safe in doing so! Sincerely, FRYEBURG AREA SNOWMOBILE ASSOCIATION Fryeburg, ME Greetings all, Another month has passed once again, which means a month closer to the end of snowmobile season. I have mixed feelings about that as I am a warm weather girl. I’d rather be hiking the snowmobile trails than riding them... for the most part. I do enjoy a nice ride in the winter also, as long as it is not too cold out. The club meeting Feb. 16th was the usual handful of members. Many ideas were thrown around regarding what to do with grooming equipment. Do we keep up with maintenance or is it time to upgrade to newer? Nothing was decided but food for thought. With new landowners buying up property on and near the snowmobile trails, it has caused several unwanted phone calls to club members this winter. They look to members to control all snowmobilers and their activities. We must tread lightly and schmooze in order to prevent the trails from being shut down. Please remind all your friends and anyone you see who ride that they must respect landowners’ property. It is up to all of us if the trails remain open for our pleasure. The trail conditions in Buckfield are cur- rently sparse and icy. With the rain coming tonight, snowmobiling will end. We can hope the snowstorm predicted for end of week will drop several inches of new snow to ride on. Keep fingers crossed. Respectfully, Bridget Gorton Club Secretary STREAKED MOUNTAINEERS sc Buckfield, ME

and beyond, Don kept our club going in the “dark times” every club has. His late wife Jane was also just as involved with the club as Don was. She held an office for the same length of time that Don was involved. Those two made a great team. Our club would not be what it is today if they hadn’t “stepped up” and did what had to be done. He started, like a lot of old timers did, with a drag made from an old bed spring. He “grad- uated” from that to our new groomer that he went on to run for many years. In fact, in 2011 Donnie was “Groomer of the Year for the MSA. More than well deserved! Never leaving a job undone, he would work hard from start to finish and would get the job done right. Like the “bikes” he made into motor- cycles, nothing was impossible to him. Every club has that someone they owe a great deal of gratitude to for all they did, and for our club, it is Don. He kept the club on an even keel for the many years he was involved. Donnie’s wife Jane passed away in 2006. He remarried in 2012 to Gail Hamel. It did not take him long to get her out on the trails grooming with him. As time went on Don- nie was not able to drive the groomer like he used to, but that did not stop him from get- ting out on the trails. Thanks to his wife Gail, she would drive the groomer while he rode shotgun! They enjoyed being out on the trails together! There were al-so many times Dave Berry would bring him out too! When summer came he never stopped working on the trails. His granddaughter Tia has shared sto-ries about the two of them rid- ing around on the four wheeler hanging new trail signs, using the winch to drag out rocks in the middle of the trails and even creating new trails up by the old farm (Donnie’s child hood home) on Severy hill in Dixfield. Many hours he put in, but he never thought of it as work. He truly loved being outdoors, riding his snowmobile, driving the groomer and being a part of the snowmobile club.

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POODUNCK sc Dixfield, ME

too. Club members cooked and sold a variety of chowders, stews, and chili, along with deli- cious cheese burgers, soft drinks, hot choco- late, coffee, and desserts. The Club also had a 50/50, and the very popular Chinese auction for 60 prizes. Long sleeve T-Shirts with BER Logo, and hats, were also for sale, along with the new trail maps. Thanks to Michael Knight, of Knights Garage, for his donation of custom T-Shirts and printed items for the Club to sell. Thanks to the many people who worked hard to make the event successful and the Club’s biggest fundraiser. Bill Preis To See dozens of photos and videos go to: https://www.facebook.com /bridgtoneasyridersclub/ NORWAY TRACKERS Norway, ME Find us on Facebook norwaytrackerssnowmobileclub@gmail.com Hello Sledders, Well, we had some great riding here on our Norway trails, but got hit with rain and warm temps just before our open house and light parade forcing us to postpone it. We are plan- ning to reschedule as conditions allow. It is only mid-February now so we are very opti- mistic for more snow soon to get back out on our trails. We hope you had a chance to enjoy our trail system. Special thanks to everyone who helped us make this a successful snowmobile season. Thank you to all our members for their support and our land owners who allow us to ride their land. Thank you to everyone who helped maintain the trails and equipment and everyone who helped behind the scenes. Our last meeting of the season will be April 5 th . We will be electing officers for next sea- son. Look for next season’s membership pack- ets in your mail next fall. Have a great summer; we’ll see you in the fall. If you get too hot, cool off with thoughts of snow. Hi there! Hope you are all enjoying the beautiful sn Hope you are all enjoying the beautiful snow we were blessed with these past few weeks. The trails in our area are the best we’ve seen all winter. Thanks to the unending energy and pride of our trail crews, AND snowmobil- ers who love the sport and want to keep our trails open for years to come. So, with that in mind.....slow down.....read the signs.....If the sign says “PLEASE STAY ON MARKED TRAIL” or “STAY ON THE EDGE OF THE FIELD”....It doesn’t mean cutting across at an angle. We saw this. Are you the one who will be responsible for that trail being closed? You know who you are. PLEASE think about the consequences. Terri Major, Secretary Snow came and went so fast, it’s hard to keep track. Our efforts for the sledding party ended up being canceled. February is “Take a friend snowmobiling” month, so, I did! Paul had never been on a long ride, until Feb. 11 th , 12 th , and 13th. He and I left Leeds at 6 AM and arrived in Millinocket at 5:30- 250 miles. Then went on the following day, 123 mile showcase ride, great camaraderie, great food, and spectacular trails with views. Then that night, had another great meal at the Northern Timber Cruisers S.C. At the MSA meeting, I received recognition and a wooden State of LEEDS STUMP THUMPERS sc Leeds, ME BER Club Correspondent Bridgtoneasyriders.com Dan Trouant, Club Reporter ROCK-O-DUNDEE RIDERS Oxford, ME

WOW!! What a FANTASTIC Blessing of the Sleds last month!! A big THANK YOU to the club members from Mexico and Dixfield that worked their butts off that day! Bonnie, Elliot, Nick, Ryan, Chris, David, Rene, Mac, Marlene and Don all worked VERY hard for all of us to have such a GREAT day!! I do owe 3 businesses an apology!! MY mistake, but Todd’s Discount, T.W. Lawn Care, and Wils Auto Body all paid to get on our shirt. Unfortunately, their businesses didn’t make it??? Again, it’s MY fault but believe me IT WAS NOT DONE ON PURPOSE!! I per- sonally called them and apologized, and they were VERY cordial and understood we all make mistakes!! THANK YOU FOR YOUR UNDERSTANDING!! We of-fered them their money back of course, but Wil said to KEEP it and put in back into the Blessing!! Now THAT is unbelievable!! Thanks SO much Wil. He has been in “my” shoes in the past because of his involvement with our local ATV club and knows EXACTLY that everything doesn’t always go the way you want it to!! Our club sure has had nothing but bad luck this year with our groomer. We had 19 grand in the bank to start the year, (most we EVER had) so like we do every other season, sent it up to VT for a checkup. Well, the bill came back at almost 25 grand!!! OUCH, that really hurt! Then we lost a track ($7,500.00) and then our computer in the groomer quit ($4,500.00) Thank goodness for a retired employee at Ir-ving’s in Dixfield, Tom Child, got that company to purchase us a new computer! A HUGE help!! Thank you, Tom, and THANK YOU Irving’s!! Because we had such a suc- cessful Blessing, we can now pay that bill!! A big THANK YOU goes out to Lisa Kiem for her helping us obtain some help from an un-described source! Much appreciated! With our money from registrations and dues, we were able to buy much needed fuel to keep our trails the way we always have, as perfect as they come! Thanks goes to the town of Dix- field for donating back to the club what they receive from the registration’s fees. I have seen too many posts about trash on the trails (mostly beer cans) and people riding OFF trail when the signs say, “stay on marked trail”. For the life of me, I just cannot under- stand ANY of that!! If U can carry it in U can carry it out!! 90 percent of our trails are on private lands, and we are SO fortunate to have such gracious landowners. It baffles the mind, and I feel fortunate that these people STILL allow the public to ride! We are lucky more landowners do not shut us off because of the lack of respect?! But I guess I am preaching to the choir because I doubt very much if you are reading this, it means you belong to a local club and realize how much work and time it is talking and getting permission from our awesome landowners!! But darn it, it’s NOT necessary and could easily cost more closed trails! As I write this from the Western Mountains of Maine, it looks like we are in for some crappy warm weather with rain!! NOT WANTED AT ALL. It is very discouraging for snowmobil- ers with the costs of sleds, clothes, and other necessities, losing ANY riding time stinks!! Clubs work SO hard to make great trails and then Mother Nature takes them away!! She can be a REAL pain at times!! But it is what it is and there is nothing we can do about it!! So, enjoy what is left of the season and hope for a LONGER and BETTER one next year!! What was that old saying by the Red Sox, just wait till next year!!! That’s it for now. Club Reporter, J.H. Poodunck SC Loses Founding Father It is with a very heavy heart that I share with you that our club lost the man who helped make our area a destination for all snow- mobilers. On Christmas Day Don Dakin Sr. (Donnie) passed away. Don was a man who did it all. From club president to Trail Master

If there is snowmobiling in heaven, their trails just got a whole lot better! He will be missed greatly by his family, friends, club members and all that knew him! Thank you Donnie! RIP our friend. Happy Riding!

Pejepscot Sno-Chiefs Lisbon Falls, ME Find us on Facebook

Happy Spring from Pejepscot Sno-Chiefs! Every year the seasons seem to fly by faster & faster, this year no exception, but our club was able to take advantage of our winter! On Sunday, Feb 20th, we held our 29th Annual World’s greatest Sleigh Ride fund- raiser, despite some nail-biting we would lose our snow. Through the magic of heavy equipment, snow got moved around to make a safe and fun trail for the horses and riders to enjoy, so all good! Considering we had to take a year off, turnout was good, the snack shack was busy, the Curtis family donuts delicious, & the snow mountain as big a hit as always for the kids. We couldn’t have a Sleigh Ride without the Teamsters, so huge thanks to all of them for donating their day! It was cold, but not too cold, and the day went smoothly. We even made the WGME evening news lead story, how fun is that?! Thank you, Channel 13 News, for the tv coverage! We were still tallying up figures, so we will have to wait until next month for the final grand total for

Leah Frechette, Club Reporter

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