8963-R1_MSA_February2025_Newsletter

From The Executive Board

ing and riding in earnest. However, regardless of whether the riding conditions are great right now or if they’re still sketchy or even non-ex istent, I would like to encourage all sledders to consider throwing a little extra business towards the club business sponsors. I know for a fact that the start of the riding season has been rough on a lot of folks . . . and I’m not just talking about the restaurants, hotels, and sled dealers . . . there are a lot of other folks who benefit from Maine’s snow mobiling community. While we whine about the lack of riding and closed trails, some of these businesses are simply worried about making it through yet another bad low-snow Winter. These businesses have been there for us – some for years – I encourage you to give back to them. Thinking about pizza for dinner? Skip that national pizza chain and consider buying a pie from your local general store, grocery store or local pizza shop instead. Do you have a family get-together planned for this Sum mer? Look into booking that local Air BnB or camp. I figure if we all do just a little extra business with our business members it should add up pretty quickly. So, today’s report is all about the power of positive thinking. Perhaps I was a little too positive when I started the season thinking it would be an epic year because I was studying how high hornet’s nests were and how thick a band was on the wooly bears and not doing actual research. Now I will admit I did see the National Weather Service’s pre-Winter forecast. Unfor tunately, like many folks, I zeroed in on the forecast for “above average precipitation” which to me meant snow . . . I failed to keep reading as the report also mentioned LaNina can bring more precipitation – often in the form of snow – but La Nina is fickle and also tends to ferry the warmer temps northwards as well . . . as we have plainly saw several times this past Winter. By the time you read this we’ll have hope fully received enough snow for February as we are hoping to host the KAST Groomer Ride Always remember to participate in a club and to support the MSA, without them, we have no trail system and no legislative initiatives. Always respect our landowners, who generously allow us to ride on their land. Please feel free to reach out to me if you need any assistance. Thank You, Ron Nunes H ere we are again! “Saying We Need More Snow!” Apparently, you are not doing your snow dance! Trail maintenance is still going on across the region. Some areas DO have riding, but I’m sure you know that it is Limited. The good part about the current weather is that everything is good and frozen. We recently went to Clinton for a nice time and round table. Thanks to Steve Wright and the club members of the Town and Country Trail Riders. Job well done! Something for all to consider is that our supporters, businesses, sled shops, restaurants, etc., are not getting the business from the snowmobiling tourism and riders. So please consider supporting these businesses as much as you can. This year has started out like last year with very little snow statewide and then rain comes to wash it away. Up until now (Jan. 19th as I write this) I have only heard about very lim ited riding in some areas. Most of those areas have been in the extreme north and western parts of the state. Unfortunately, I am hear ing and reading about more businesses clos ing due to lack of snow and snowmobilers, which is a sad thing. Snowmobile clubs are also suffering because they depend on snow to groom and grant money from the grooming to keep the doors open. At the time this is being written there are 49 snowmobile clubs that have not submitted any memberships this year. Clubs depend on those memberships as well, so it’s possible next year we could see less clubs in the state due to the lack of snow W ell, this article being written Jan. 2025 will sound like a really broken record: Where’s the SNOW??

club has at least one area they could submit an application for. MSA brought back the Land owner of the year awards a couple years back and we would really like to see every club submit a landowner. Without these gracious people we might be riding in circles around our houses!! All clubs also have someone or a business they depend on as the go to person or place. nominate them! I would like to say thank you to Bob LaFon taine for participating in this year’s Pine Tree Camp Egg Ride. Volunteering to ride with raw eggs in your clothing is a tall task, and add to that you are doing it to help handicapped children and adults. Thank you, Bob, you did a wonderful thing. That’s all for this month. By next month I hope to report on all the wonderful snow and riding there has been statewide. Everyone- Do Those Snow Dances! Until March, be safe out there, Eileen

this year and last. Even though the snow is not cooperating clubs state wide are doing what they can to carry on with their planned activities. February brings school vacation week and many clubs and areas have week long events planned to attract snowmobilers and others. I encourage you to check with clubs and see what activities are still happening. Some clubs will still hold events and even if you must ride by car, please support them. A reminder to all clubs: February is the deadline to submit applications for the MSA contests with the awards to be presented at the annual meeting in April. Go to the MSA web site, access membership, forms and then you will see the list. There are ten different appli cations and a club can send in as many appli cations as they want. Awards go to Snowmo biler, Youth, Groomer, Club, Dealer, Business, Hall of Fame, and Landowners. I know every

Eastern Region VP

Eileen Lafland, 207-843-7813 PO Box 733, Holden ME 04429 L.andE.lafland525476@gmail.com

Central Region VP

MSA CLUBS: TO ORDER NEEDED ITS & JCT SIGNS Contact Mike Grass Sr., MSATrails Committee 252 Condon Road Plymouth, ME 04969 207-368-4914 home • 207-745-2745 cell Grasslands252@gmail.com TO ORDER CLUBTRAIL SIGNAGE Candice Pinkham, DACF/Snowmobile Program 207-287-4957 Office • 207-878-8111 Fax Candice.M.Pinkham@maine.gov

Ron Nunes, 401-527-5370 260 Last Round Up Rd Lexington Twp, ME 04961 Thelastroundup2018@gmail.com

MSA Club News

Day, a couple of Family Fun Nights and the KAST Poker Run. More importantly though . . . some of us are really anxious to see the old Trail 64 trail to Linneus re-opened . . . but again . . . we’ll need snow for that to happen. I will close by mentioning if you would like to help support the Club and still treat yourself in the process we have hoodies for sale. You can check out the designs and order through our Facebook page or new website. Irreverently submitted, Jason Johnson, Secretary Hi Gang, Well, it is the 23 rd . of January and we might possibly have 4-5” of snow on the ground as I type this. Yesterday, Pensacola, Florida got 8” and set a record that was over 125 years old~~~~~ what in H**l is going on!!!!!!!!!!????? Needless to say, the groomers have not moved yet, but they have been ready for six weeks!! Mother nature sucks!! That being said, I believe we have hit the 100-member mark, which is hard to do when there is no riding in our area. Looking ahead a little, the Snowgang fishing derby will be in the books by the time you all read this. I am sure the prize winners will be posted on our website, so just go to www.benedictasnow gang.com and you should be able to find them. On March 15th the club will be hosting the Northern Regional MSA Meeting at the Parish Center in the center of town. The time of this meeting and the dinner menu will be posted on social media as the event becomes closer. On an extremely sad note, I have to tell you that have not heard, that beloved longtime member, and one of the founders of the Bene dicta Snowgang, Mr. Reid Stanley, has passed away. Reid was the person who came up with the “Benedicta Snowgang” name, invented the Snowgang Golf Tournament on ice (which was acknowledged by ESPN) and seen as far away as Texas and California, chaired many events, cooked all night roasting a pig for our BENEDICTA SNOW GANG Benedicta, ME

annual Landowner Appreciation pig roasts, and sold over 800 Caribbean Cruise Raffle tickets. The Benedicta Snowgang extends our love and sincerest condolences to his wife Cathy, his children Brittany, Logan, Lindsay, and KC and their family and friends. Fly high buddy, you did it your way!! Jim Splan, Reporter @ Large P.S ~ As Reid would say,”And getting larger”! P.SS~ Shout out to Al Pangburn! P.SSS ~ Anyone seen Jimmy Qualey! P.SSSS~ It’s all just common sense! Drumroll.......... And our lodge is open for business. AND our trails are open for riding. Granted we still have a few items left to complete until we can say our lodge renova tion is truly complete but we are up and serv ing hot meals on Saturday and hope to be able to do this until at least April 15th but the snow gods will have the final say. Our trails are open and our groomer has been out a few times already. We could use a little bit, OK a lot more snow but our base is solid and the cold of this will week should set us up nicely. Our lodge renovation has come together beautifully and we have sooo many people to thank so here goes and I really am trying to touch base on everyone who has helped us achieve this goal. From the beginning, Benny Nadeau, for bringing the possibility of this grant to our attention. A huge THANK YOU to him and Lynn Kelly, our treasurer for having the patience, determination, and dedi cation to follow this process from beginning to end. Without you both and especially you, Lynn, this would not have come to reality. A special Thank You to Steve Pelletier, for letting us use your knowledge and brain to achieve this ARPA grant. A Huge Thank You to Kevin Pelletier for braving the creepy crawlies under our ST. FRANCIS SNO ANGELS St. Francis, ME

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

NORTHERN REGION

SMOKI HAULERS sc Oakfield, ME

Usually, I have a pretty positive outlook on life, but I have to admit so far, the Winter of 2024-2025 is shaping up to be a bit of a bust. The start of Winter was a bit of a rollercoaster ride as the snow would be building up nicely and then it would all go away practically over night . . . and then rinse, wash and repeat. We’re now on Winter 3.0 as I call it . . . but this time Ol’ Man Winter is taking his sweet time in getting here as we here in Smoki Haul er-ville still don’t have enough snow to groom and it’s already late-January. As I sit here typing away I kinda feel like the kid in school who has been kept inside during recess while all of his classmates are outside playing and having a grand, ol’ time. I say this since some clubs within spitting dis tance of us have begun grooming, posting pics and making videos and putting out trail reports while we’re lamenting the fact that the most recent storm this past weekend petered out in our area and left us with a measly two inches of snow. With only a paltry 4 inches of snow on the ground – far less than what it should be in a normal Winter – we’re still not grooming. Normally we would be going full tilt right about now . . . which makes me wonder who in the area bought a new snowmobile this year and caused this Montezuma’s Curse to befall us with a lack of snow (actually I know who it is – it’s Stan G. . . . we’ll have to sit down with him soon to have a little talk). Now I would like to think that by now – late-February when you’re reading this report – we’ve received enough snow to start groom

8

r y 2 0

r u a

2 5 l M a i ne S n o w m

e b

F

r

o b

i l e