7909-R2_MSA_Mar2022_MaineSnowmobiler

How One Club Decided to Raise Money for their Grooming Fund By: Eileen Lafland

O ne Saturday February 19th anyone riding in the Shin Pond area saw a different sight on the trails at the intersection of ITS 85 and Connector Trail 114 at PT 16. Mt. Chase Lodge and Shin Pond Village joined forces and set up a Groomer Fund Station. The event was organized by Lindsay Hill Downing from Mt. Chase Lodge. She enlisted the help of her uncle, Les Hill, from Shin Pond Village and one of her Lodge workers, Dan. As snowmobilers came from each direction the first thing they may have seen was the smoke from a trailside fire ring sitting ahead of the groomer. It made a few hearts stop to think there may be a fire but once you got closer you could see it was just a campfire. Then you could see Dan’s straw hat and the table with home baked cook- ies on it, along with a donation jar for the groomer fund. In talking with Lindsay, she said she got the idea from something she had seen and wanted to see if it would work. Lindsay asked Les to bring the groomer out and she furnished the supplies. She left her husband Mike back at Mount Chase Lodge for the day and came trailside to help collect money. Les is president of Bowlin/ Matagamon/ Shin Pond Snowmobile Club and one of the groomer operators. He had been out most of the night before making the trails smooth, but he was greeting people and enjoying a chance to talk trails. When all was said and done, they raised $600, met quite a few rid- ers, enjoyed the praise for their trails and gave the riders a chance to see a groomer up close and personal. Hopefully it even made some people realize these pieces of equipment are expensive to buy, oper- ate and maintain and the next time they see a groomer operator on the trails or at a clubhouse they say, “Thank you” and add a few dollars to the fund.

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