8872-R1_MSA_October2024_Newsletter

From The Executive Board

From the President

volunteers. They will pick up the torch and work to support snowmobiling and your local community businesses year round. Anyone who is involved understands the nature of our business understands it is more than just from when the first snowflake hits the ground. It’s a year-long effort to ensure that the trail system equipment and landowners are all in order. We at the MSA also work hard throughout the calendar year, including the summer months, to make sure we are supporting you in every way we can. If you’re struggling with something please reach out to your local MSA director, Regional VP for help with that matter. It’s very likely you are not going it alone. Other resources for trails & landowner issues are the folks from Department of Conservation snowmobile program, regional trails coordinators. These folks work for Joe’s office and help clubs and landowners resolve issues that come up. And do not forget the Warden Service landowner relation program, the two folks at the state level (Andrew Smart & Kris MacCabe) can help you coordinate and talk through landowner issues, potentially resolving issues for your club. say that we wouldn’t change it for anything! For all of the MSA staff and volunteers this is probably the busiest time of the year. We have a number of things in the works on the legislative side, one of them being the 30 million dollar Trails Bond which is slated to be on the ballot in November and if passed, which is likely, it will bring with it much needed funds back into the hands of our Clubs. Fall in Maine means Fairs, Festivals, Grass Drags and a host of other events, which I am proud to say that the MSA has traveled from one end of the State to the other attending many of these events. Spending time with various Clubs, displaying the Super Raffle sleds and trailers and helping Clubs sell tickets, as well as answering questions and just engaging in good snowmobiling conversation, and at the end of the day is a very rewarding feeling. Some of the other things that we have been working on are Memberships, the MSA office together with the Membership Committee (Eileen & Larry) have started to process memberships as they start to come in, also a big thank you to Liz in the MSA office for facilitating this. Our very own Al Swett at the office in his new role this year as Director of Operations is literally everywhere, wherever needed and is without a doubt the glue that holds the association together. Lori has been diligently working on the Annual Maine Guide, the calendar, the MSA newspaper, the Facebook page not to mention her usual position as Treasurer. Lori and Bob have also been working on updating the Website and snowmobiling in Maine one of the top three destination points in the United States. You should be very proud of this accomplishment. People from all over the USA and Canada ride our trails. It’s a special place from the South to the North from East to West. Our annual snowmobile show is this month, many dealers, vendors and a very cool vin tage snowmobile show this year will be worth coming too. Hope to see you there. Thanks out to Charlies Family of Dealerships in Augusta for once again being our major sponsor. The Raffle is picking up speed as we head into the final stretch. Incredible prizes from some very generous vendors. From the gift certificates to the snowmobiles and trailers this year. It’s always a joy awarding the prizes in December. Thank you to Cove Side Sports in Newport for setting up the mighty Polaris Pro Star S4 Indy Adventure a 4-stroke beauty with a 15X137 Ripsaw II track and full 7S dis play. This beauty has all the options to make a great day on the snow. Our other big sled is a Ski Doo Renegade 600EFI Gen4 from Mountain Side Ski Doo in Wilton. It comes with electric start, reverse, hand and thumb warmers,137 X15X1.35 track. An entry level sled for the children this year is an Arctic Cat

Another sure sign that snowmobile season is coming at us at a rapid pace is the MSA snowmobile show on the horizon. A chance get together and visit, check out sleds, groomers, trailers, gear & accessories and attend workshops on grants put on by the MSA & State snowmobile program. I hope to see you there. Clubs have been hard at work all summer behind the scenes raising funds, securing trail permissions from landowners, doing machine maintenance, filling out grant forms and the list goes on, all just so folks can enjoy a great time on a snowmobile. Please reach out to support them with both your hours of volunteerism and memberships. If you are not quite sure how you may fit it into the club, just be up front & ask. Most clubs need folks to step in and help them, learn the roles and become an active member. If your club has a need, please reach out to me or one of the regional VP’s and we will help you in any way we can. We may not have all the answers but will work with you to help resolve your questions/concerns or needs. We are here to support you and your clubs. Our contact information is included in the paper. This fall the MSA will be working to Some things to keep an eye out for as we make our way through the Winter months... Watch for our director’s meetings each month, which typically fall on the third Tuesday of each month. Clubs should watch for Regional Meetings within their area, these are usually put on by their respective V.P’s and are a great resource for information. Another “can’t miss” are the Trails Workshops, these are put on by the Trails Chairman and are an invaluable source of Trail and Safety information. If there is anyone or any Club that would like to host one of these, please reach out to the MSA office, Regional V.P. or Trails chairman and we will make it happen. Once again, it is time to say goodbye from the oval office. Ok my easy chair, and remember if you have a question, comment, issue or just want to talk snowmobiling, my door is always open, please reach out to me anytime. Till next time, Thank you for reading. Mark ZR 200 from Kramer’s Arctic Cat in Sidney this little beauty has a Yamaha 200 engine with electric start, hand warmers this will look good under your Christmas tree this year! Real big prizes again this year are from our longtime supporters from right here in Central Maine. We have two top trailer manufacturers right here in our state. Nitro based in Pittsfield has donated a Nitro Hybrid 12 foot long trailer to haul your sleds around. This is the blackout version, one beautiful trailer! Sideman door, front extra wide door and rear gate door will make it easy to load and unload. The Alcom folks came up with a new low rider trailer this year and we’re the first to get one! Another awesome trailer made right here in Central Maine this trailer has a large drop down loading door along with a man door on the side. At 7.5X16 it’s a gem to travel with looking down the unit you can see behind you with safety in mind. Thanks you to everyone making the raffle a success and helping out our MSA clubs! On the political side November is fast approaching, with that question 4 is a bond vote to help Maine outdoor recreation. It’s designed to insert $30 million dollars into Maine’s motorized ad non-motorized recre an on-line membership portal. The Steering Committee along with the Executive Board have been working for months on the Maine Snowmobile Show, which by the time of this newspaper should be in the books. As well as we will have already traveled to Epping N.H. for the Grass Drags, and will be heading to Springfield Mass. for their Snowmobile Show in November to promote snowmobiling and tourism in Maine. In July, we launched the MSA Super Raffle, which is a fantastic fundraiser for the Clubs and is always a hit; we will close the raffle and have a live drawing for all of the prizes on December 10th.

Lori Hemmerdinger (207) 890-5455 544 Plains Road • Poland, ME 04274 Treasurer@mesnow.com Treasurer’s Report Respectfully Submitted, Lori Hemmerdinger, Treasurer

Mark Chinnock, President 207-754-9874 544 Plains Road, Poland, ME 04274 napadude66@hotmail.com

Monthly Income Monthly Expense

$ 29,916.18 $ 28,799.02 $ 1,117.16 $ 85,600.00 $165,358.86 $112,408.53

Net Revenue

Short Term CD (9/30/24)

H ello Folks, I hope this month finds everyone well! As we eagerly work our way into the ‘24-’25 season, we are constantly reminded of just how much work and preparation is needed to set ourselves up for a successful season. I think we can all agree that it takes as much if not more work before the snow falls than after. With that being said, I think that I can speak for most of us when I

Checking (9/30/24)

Dedicated Account (9/30/24)

Pay Pal (9/30/24) - Special Events Account (9/30/24) $ 4,987.53 Credit Line (9/30/24) $ - Building Fund (9/30/24) $ 54,374.63 Brian Wass Safety Fund (9/30/24) $ 1,285.78 Scholarship Savings (9/30/24) $ 4,289.00 Scholarship CD (9/30/24) $ 60,126.40 get legislation prepared for the coming legislative session to better fund our clubs. We understand the funding gaps experienced by clubs statewide are hopeful we can fill the gap. There is no one single answer, no silver bullet to resolve the funding all at once. We believe there are short-, medium- & long-term solutions and are committed to make sure we get the right combination. Part of the solution for the medium term will be the November ballot Question #4, Trails Bond. The positive implications of this for the snowmobile & outdoor recreation communities. The $7.5 million/year for four years can be a huge help to shore up critical infrastructure across the trails from all parts of the State. Please get out & vote yes on question #4. If you have questions, get them to us so we can answer them for you. If you have a question, problem, concern, or idea on snowmobiling in Maine, get in touch with me. You can contact me at the phone # or email below. Matt Stedman Stedman.matt@jdirving.com 207-557-1921 ation folks. That’s a lot of money I know but it will give us some much needed funds to help out our clubs and trail system. It will be dis tributed over 4 years. We’re a destination spot for folks all over the world. This bill will help us restore bridges and damaged trails from the recent catastrophes we’ve had in the last cou ple of years. Hope to see you at the show. Be safe out there! AL CLUB MEMBERS Once grooming begins submit your trail reports to: EDITOR@MESNOW.COM Please include your name and club affiliation $

From the Executive VP

Matt Stedman 207-557-1921 (call or text) PO Box 621, Ashland ME 04732 Stedman.matt@jdirving.com

H ello fellow snowmobilers, The signs of the coming winter are surely here now, leaves changing, cool mornings and here in the County the farmers are getting their potato crop out of the fields. Membership packets and grant packages from the state are both out and in the hands of you dedicated

Director of Operations

Alan Swett, 207-872-7282 234 County Rd, Waterville ME 04901 snowtraveler@roadrunner.com W elcome October! Hi Folks we’re getting closer to our sea son. We’ve had many events happening across the State. From chicken cookouts, auctions, club’s holding open houses and raffle sales at many fairs you’re getting the Maine snow mobile word out. We are a silent giant making

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