8555-R2_MSA_November2023_Newsletter

MSA Club News

groomers are ready to roll, and the operators are anxious to get started but we have not even had a frost yet here in Southern Aroostook County. While out riding please remember to ride Right and ride safe. Submitted by Judy SMOKI HAULERS Oakfield, ME Hello Members, We hope everyone has enjoyed what lit tle bit of summer weather that we had. With snowmobile season quickly approaching we are getting anxious! Our club is undergoing some exciting changes and we can’t wait to see everyone this season. That being said, we would like to take this opportunity to introduce our new club officers; President- Brent Stover, Vice President- Frank Schramm, Secretary- Makayla Crandall, Treasurer- Shania Stover, Trailmaster- Joshua Crandall, Assistant Trailmaster- Mat thew Bustard and Membership Chairman- Lisa Fogarty. As we get closer to the snow flying, we have been busy with trail maintenance. We would like to thank our volunteers for helping us out; this is a very large part of what makes us able to keep our trails enjoyable. We strongly encourage everyone to join a local club and lend a helping hand! Smoki Haulers is eager to get started with our newly elected officials, as our club has many great ideas for the future! We do urge everyone to follow our new “Smoki Haulers Snowmobile Club” Facebook page to keep up to date with our upcoming events, trail conditions and any other pertinent information. We hope to see many familiar faces and meet some new folks this sledding season! MOLUNKUS VALLEY SNO-DRIFTERS Sherman, ME Hello from Sherman! Yup summer is over they tell me and I say what summer? We never had one anyhow. Oct. we started our potlucks and meeting with a great turnout, food, and friendships, discussed lots a stuff like trunk or treat in the town park. We went over trails for upcoming season and suppers. Deb has all the stakes and backings painted for our club. I can say we do have a great caring and supportive club @MVSD. WE SIGNED GET WELL CARDS FOR MEMBERS SHERRY ARSE NAULT, OUR TICKET SALES LADY, AS SHE HAD A PACE MAKER INSTALLED. Roger Willett was in a serious ATV acci dent and is improving daily but still has a long road ahead. Positive vibes. We also dis cussed our annual Christmas Parade to be held NOV.26TH @3pm in Sherman. Any Snow Club is welcome to put a float in just NO SANTA AS MVSD HAS SANTA COMING! :) any questions call deb 267-1200 or check out Molunkus Valley fb page ENDED MEET ING WITH DEBS JOKES. Officers are as follows~ Deb Long Pres. Roger Bouchard Vice, Kim Qualey Secretary with Patti Bechard as Fill in :)Steve Bechard Treasurer, Heather Willett membership chair, Rick Long Trailmaster with Shawn Southard as Assistant..... We will also be doing a tree again this year @school ~ Happy Fall ya’all Keep on keeping on! Deb Long (club Pres.) CENTRAL REGION Hello All, We may only be able to ride when we have snow, but it is basically a year-round job in one way or another, to keep trails and equipment ready for when the white stuff falls. Members have been getting the equipment fired up and out working on the trails. We’ve had some harsh weather which has fallen many trees and branches and damaged or destroyed more than a few of our 8 bridges. Some of these jobs are easy and others are going to be a big undertak ing. If you can help in any way, it would be greatly appreciated. If it is putting up signs, hammering nails, cutting brush, or operating (Continued on Page 24) COCHNEWAGAN TRAILBLAZERS Monmouth, ME

P.SSS ~~ Go Bruins!! P.SSSS ~~ Go Big Blue!!

BIG VALLEY sc Island Falls, ME Welcome to the 2023-24 season!

Deadlines for club news is the 25 th of the month prior to the publications. Please submit articles to editor@mesnow.com

ST. FRANCIS SNO ANGELS St. Francis, ME

We have been busy with rebuilding one of our major bridges. The construction is just about completed. Thank you to all that came to give a hand!

Hello Again! As the seasons change and we prepare for winter, I sit and ponder how quickly the sea sons change and how life replicates the sea sons, constantly changing, closing chapters, opening new books, always moving forward in life’s meandering way. We recently had our formative St. Francis Sno Angels meeting and held our election of officers. The slate of officers stands as fol lows: David Connors, President, Erwin Jack son, Vice President, Kim Ouellette, Secretary, Lynn Kelly, Treasurer and Victor Panno, our New Trailmaster. For those of you who are familiar with our club, been to our lodge and ridden our trails, this is a significant changing of the guard. Roland Taggett and Judy Taggett have stepped down from their respective Trailmaster and Treasurer positions. Roland faithfully and with knowledge and care acted as trailmaster and groomed our trails for 7 years. Days of groomer maintenance in the bitter cold, nights of grooming in the blinding snow, Rol and his faithful sidekick, Jeff taking off in a strobe of orange lights come snow or rain, or gloom of night. But there were also the good times, The bright starlit nights when there are more stars than any human can count, the flash of eyes as the headlights pick up an animal using our trail as an easy road in the deep snow. Com ing into the village and stopping for a “quick” visit to the lodge to see how the rest of the group were doing. The countless hours that go unrecognized from the telephone calls to our land owners, to the helping out with the Satur day meals, to the chicken BBQ’s, Race your neighbor snow drags and the myriad of little jobs that helped us, as the Sno Angels succeed. Roland, we Thank You! May the coming years bring you a much-deserved rest. Judy, Thanks for your faithful job of being our treasurer, for your humor and your funny viewpoint of life. Thanks for the many weeks of cleaning at the lodge, for your help with the races, for your dedication in the order ing, receiving, folding, displaying, etc etc of our retail merchandise. Thanks for your help with the meals and especially for your Pine apple dream square ( I think that’s what it’s called) and it certainly is a dream. Thank You as well!! As with every change in life, things will change but you’ve provided us a solid foun dation to go on. Soon the snow will fall and our lodge will be buzzing with activity, our weekends busy, busy, busy and soo many trails to groom and new people to meet. Those of you who read last month’s newsletter and the exceptional job, Darlene Kelly of Two Rivers did show casing our area, it’s all true but you have to see it to believe it. Come North, we welcome you and there is no other place quite like it. The river still flows in the same place as it’s been for thousands of years, the mountains and hills and fields hold new adventures at every turn, breathtaking in the summer and autumn but wearing its best white suit, (snow) for your visit to our area. Stop in at the lodge. The trail goes right by. We plan to still hold our Sat urday hot meals beginning when the groom ing starts and it won’t be far from now. Make your plans, and include us in them. We’ll both enjoy it! Respectfully yours, Kim M Ouellette Secretary MEDUXNEKEAG RAMBLERS Meduxnekeag, ME Well folks, it’s that time of year again, clubs are sending out me memberships or can be done online for most clubs. The Meduxnekeag Ramblers held a membership breakfast to help get the ball rolling. If you sled or just want to join a club and volunteer to help with trail work, breakfasts, or other functions that we do please feel Free to contact a club member. Meetings are held on the 3 rd Tuesday of each month, starting with a potluck supper and meeting to follow. Clubhouse is available for rentals, please call 207-538-8048 for more information. The

NORTHERN REGION

CHAPMAN RIDGE RUNNERS sc Chapman, ME

Dear Members, It has been a difficult summer for clubs, as well as our members. The rain rarely stopped. Though we should not complain, since south ern Maine had more damaging rains than we up north did. Still, it was so hard to get to mowing the trails, ditching, bulldozing, and removing beaver dams. We are hoping for a few dry days to get a little bit more done before winter. We will begin to hold some events and gen erally get back in the “swing of things.” We will soon have our annual landowner appre ciation supper and in-person meetings. Our members and landowners have continued to rent the clubhouse for events, though in smaller numbers. We feel this is a real benefit to both groups and hope we can be of service in the community. Our club purchased a mini-excavator and it has proven to be very useful. You may have seen it out on the trails. This is so helpful to our work crew and saves erosion damage to the trails. Now if the beavers would take a break, we would be all set! It was our plan to build a bridge over the north branch of the Presque Isle Stream (#105 north) and one near the RR trestle on the Sco pan Trail (#74), but the stars did not align, so we will have to wait until 2024. Also, be on the lookout for new Tanya Tucker signs on the Swanback Trail (#105 South) generously donated by Rick Ouelet and Condon Signs (Jeff and Liz). We have missed Tanya, but I sadly remind everyone that she is a favorite target of hunters. I guess they don’t under stand that snowmobile trails, signposts, etc. don’t just magically appear and at no cost. It’s very disheartening for a small club to deal with vandalism, especially to Tanya. She will be erected after hunting season. Give her a “high five” as you pass her, or stop and take a photo with her and we’ll post it on Facebook. My email is: sue.maynard1236@gmail.com. As a reminder, please contact Bob at 207 554-8080 for rentals and Mickey at 207-764 1236 if you have any questions about the trails. Look for the fall annual membership application and newsletter in your mailbox. As a reminder, if you want updates on trail conditions, summer or winter, send me your email address (see above) and I will put you into my list. Some members do not include it on their membership form. See you on the trail, hopefully, with my new sled! Sue Maynard Secretary Snowmobile Season is upon us once again! The Portage Lakers have had yet another busy summer. Between Groomer Shed proj ects, cooking pigs, racing on the grass, and now scheduling bridge repair projects, there is no rest for the weary! As always, if you are looking to volunteer your time, we are always looking for the extra help. Reach out to us through Facebook- Portage Lakers, email-por tagelakerstreasurer@gmail.com, or on the website- portagelakers.org. Memberships will be sent out soon. Check your email! If you haven’t received a member ship and want to join our great club, reach out to us! We’d love to have you. As a matter of fact, tell a friend. Or buy your friend a mem bership as a Christmas gift. You won’t even have to leave your house-you can thank me now for the great idea! I don’t have much else to report on right now, as the season is just getting started. Have a Happy Thanksgiving! PORTAGE LAKERS sc Portage Lake, ME

We are excited for the season and hoping for lots of snow. If you want to become a member, please reach out to bsecretaryofbigvallysnow club@gmail.com, they will get you signed up. We have many exciting events planned this year and will keep you posted on dates.

BENEDICTA SNOW GANG Sherman, ME

Hi Gang, The leaves have all fallen, as have the par tridge and moose, and the deer are next on the list~~~~ it is Fall in Northern Maine!! The Snowgang is in full gear, with lots of projects going on. Trailwork is going as well as can be expected considering the wet conditions. I need to talk with you all about the impor tance of club membership. As we all know, your continued support is critical, but as you rejoin for the season, consider trying to get a family member or friend to join as well. Club memberships are an important part of any club, as more and more friendships are formed. Also, please consider joining multi ple clubs as your help is always welcome and appreciated. Another thing I have been thinking about is the seemingly total lack of respect and unsafe riding habits of some people of the trails. As more and more riders take to the trails, they watch riders using these unsafe habits, espe cially excessive speed and driving left of center, and could is some cases develop those bad habits. My point is that more experienced riders need to “lead by example”! You know when to brrrap it and when not to, remember --- others are watching. I am done, but before I go, I want to wish you all a safe riding season ~~~ Happy Thanksgiving from me and the whole Bene dicta Snowgang crew!! Jim Splan, Reporter @ Large P.S ~~ Anyone seen Grumpy!! P.SS ~~ Last chance for a Cruise ticket!!

Tammy Kenney Club Secretary

23

w m

n o

o b

0 2 3 l M a i n e S

i l

e r

N

m b e r 2

o v

e