8306-R2_MSA_March2023

MSA Club News

Ride safe & to the right!! Jim Splan, Reporter @ Large

all the hard work we’ve done. Thanks to all of our members, who have donated their time and effort to make “our” club such a GREAT success! “You all should be proud; I know that I am!” Ride Smart. Ride Safe. Ride to the Lexing ton Highlanders Snow Club House! See you all on your next adventure! Lori Nunes Club phone # 207-628-4142 Well for a time it didn’t look like we would have much snow. We got trails all set, and then we had a big storm in December, which required much more clean up. We have been working on getting everything back together and signs up (you can never have too many). We finally got some good snow in mid-January and our groomers have been busy. Although icy in some spots, our trails may be better than they have been in a couple years. We are mak ing the best of the snow that we do get. Our club bought a new (to us) groomer and that one has already started earning it’s keep. Now our club has 3 snowmobiles, 1 Blazer, and 2 Big Buggies for grooming, and they have all been hard at work. Enjoy the riding while we can. NORRIDGEWOCK SPORTSMAN Norridgewock, ME Winter comes and winter goes....and comes back again! This kind of flip flopping weather, unfortunately, seems to be the norm over recent years. Whatever the weather, we all need to be cautious of the trail conditions. Things can change from day to day and even hour to hour. Just last night a group of club members and a couple former members went to help a rider that had put the rear tracks of his ATV through a brook. He had travelled the trail earlier in the day and was trying to get back home. A member went out to see if he could help, but realized it was going to take more than just his machine. He did bring the rider back to his house to warm up and call for a ride. Fortunately, the small group of dedicated and caring Trail blazers was able to get him back to solid land and to the location where he brought a trailer to be able to haul his machine home. It took approximately two hours in the dark and sin gle digit temperatures. Good job to all! On a happier note, we have been posting the winners of our snowball raffle. Thank you to everyone that sold and bought tickets and con gratulations to all the winners. This year we had winners who were drawn twice with two different tickets and some with the same ticket being drawn twice. We had many youth winners this year as well. I would be curious to know if they spend their winnings on some thing fun or if they put it in their piggy bank! Our future events include our adopt-a highway duties in April, where we clean up the roadside along Rt 132. We will also start planning our 2 nd annual swap meet/flea mar ket. There is always something going on in the club. Keep safe, Roberta Kemp VP and membership chair WESTERN REGION The Bridgton Easy Riders meeting of Feb ruary 10 th , 2023 was called to order at 7PM by President Blaine Chapman, followed by a salute to the flag. There was no Pot Luck supper, since many Club members were still returning that day from the Club Trip to Millinocket. (See Top Right) Duane Hendrix volunteered to head the committee to get Club nominations for Vice President, Secretary, Trail Master, which will be presented at the March meeting and voted on at the April meeting. Respectfully submitted, Bob Washburn, secretary COCHNEWAGAN TRAILBLAZERS Monmouth, ME BRIDGTON EASY RIDERS sc Bridgton, ME Bridgtoneasyriders.com See us on Facebook.

shed. (One day, I’ll stop calling it a shed, but you know, old habits…) With that being said, I would like to thank (again) all the donors and volunteers that helped make this project a success. The annual Pie Auction was a huge success once again. We had a packed venue and more laughs than I can count. Beth Hummel always knocks this event out of the park with her great organization skills. Chris Carroll keeps the crowd roaring with his auctioneering abilities (I’ll leave it at that ☺ ). The crowd danced the evening away to Too Far North. Thank you to all that volunteered, donated, and supported PLSC as well as the Town of Portage for the use of the hall! As always, check out our website at www. portagelakers.org or follow us on Facebook for our latest news. There is still plenty of riding to come. Ride right, ride safe and be courteous! Until next month, The Meduxnekeag Ramblers meet monthly with a good turnout. We have snow and trails are in good shape, Trial master and groomer operators are doing a good job. Our breakfasts that we hold each Saturday are going well, except for the 1 canceled with wind chill in - 50,s. you can sled, ski snowshoe or drive to the clubhouse, serving from 6-10 am. off ITS 83, or 86. and the Wiley Rd in Littleton. Club rentals are available please call 207-538-8048 for more information. Respectfully submitted Judy CENTRAL REGION Tammy Kenney Club Secretary MEDUXNEKEAG RAMBLERS Meduxnekeag, ME Thanks to all that stopped by our Embden Pond Snow Fest on February 18. There were some great casseroles and conversations. All available trails were groomed after the snowfall on the 23 rd . And, considering sparse snow, they are in good shape. The ice thickness on local ponds is gener ally 14” of various consistencies. As always, test before you go and be alert to areas that may be influenced by springs and streams entering those lakes. The Braaap Shack is open on Saturdays as long as it isn’t raining. Seems strange to put out that weather qualifier. We may have to go to Los Angeles to get snow. Make the most of your snow travels! Be safe and stay to the right! Your Club Reporter Looks like _Lexington _is now on the snowmobile maps! We’ve finally made our mark! “The little club who could, _REALLY DID!” We have established a great destination spot to come check out. Maybe we can be your next club or family ride. We are open Fridays 12-4, Saturdays 9-4 & Sundays 9-12, during the snowmobile season. (We were open every day during the Feb ruary school vacation.) We’ve got non-eth anol fuel, breakfast sandwiches, hotdogs (red&brown), hamburgers, cheese burgers, grilled cheese, baked goods, snacks, chips, and drinks. You’ll have to come by to see what “_the special of the day” _is! We love seeing you all, talking snowmobiling, among other things, making new friends and obtaining new members. We also have Lexington “SWAG”! Hood ies, sweatshirts, t-shirts both long & short sleeve, ball caps and knit caps. We also have TV, phone, and internet too! Don’t forget! We are CASH only! But we do have the ATM ready for your withdrawals! It’s been an exciting venture for the whole club! We’d love for you all to stop by and see EMBDEN TRAVELERS sc Embden, ME Find Us On Facebook LEXINGTON HIGHLANDERS sc Lexington Township, ME Hi y’all, Hi Ya’ll,

P.S ~~ I need a cheeseburger!! P.SS ~~ Nicely done Travis!! P.SSS ~~ And a chocolate shake!! P.SSSS ~~ Da** turkeys!! MOLUNKUS VALLEY SNO-DRIFTERS Sherman, ME Hello, Hope you all had a great Valentine’s Day! this has sure been one weird winter, goes from high winds below zero to 40 degrees :( we had a 1st weekend of the month we at MVSD CEASEDALL GROOMINGAS THE TEMPS WERE BRUTUAL~~~~we always put safety number 1. On that Sunday we resumed grooming, picking up blow downs and plowing drifts like never before with few hands .... Remember we are Strictly Volunteers NO ONE GETS PAY! We are very thankful for Rick & Rick run ning the big groomers & other members who step up to help with saws, sleds and brushing and opening trails, many hands make light work! & all trails were back in tip top shape in no time~~~ We are thankful for outside clubs who had members offer to help with a couple break downs. It’s nice to know there is backup out there! We are having a huge problem with 2 of our signs on different trails with MOOSE STOMPING THEM OVER ~~~~ BY THE TIME YOU READ THIS OUR POKER RUN WILL BE OVER We are Blessed & Thankful for all Area Businesses who Donate to Keep This Going, You Know who you are ! Also want to send Get Well Wishes to one of our Groomer Operators Shawn Southard who broke his leg & is very upset he isn’t able to help. We told him take care of himself first as there is always another Season! Lord Willing We also want to thank everyone who sup ported our Sherman Cooker Raffle! Don’t for get with high fuel costs drop a donation in the boxes that are out at area business Happy St. Patrick’s Day ya’ll & Happy Trails Ride Right! From your Friends @ MVSD! We always accept new members to the club Where there are No Strangers only friends you haven’t met ! message us for a app & ck us out on FB @ Molunkus Valley Sno-Drifters. Keep On Keeping On! Deb Long (Club President) Hey Snowmobilers! What a wild and crazy ride this winter has been?! First, the season was late getting here with mild temps in November, Christmas brought the worst windstorm of my lifetime (and I’m old!) with power outages, January finally brought a few snowflakes, and then February came… February. The month blew in like a lion with a vengeance! Wow, -60 below zero for a day or two was a bit much. PLSC took a few days off from grooming during the cold snap. Sorry fellow riders, but our Operators’ well-being is more important than smooth trails. I haven’t heard much for complaints, so I’ll assume there wasn’t much traffic at that time. Speaking of Operators’ well-being, a few weeks ago one of our guys was out grooming, and he got hung up on something. Of course, the location being in the middle of the woods, there was no cell phone service. He was able to text for help with our Garmin In Reach sat ellite phone. He sent a quick note to say he was hung up and his location, and Glenn was out the door to get there to help him. What a great investment this has been. I recommend it to anyone who spends time in the woods, especially in the middle of the night. Safety is always our first priority. We’ve had a couple of small issues with our groomer, nothing serious, but the guys were able to pull the entire groomer and drag inside of the Groomer Shed and fix the issue, without having to unhook the drag. They were back out on the trail in no time. The time saved in that alone was worth the hassle of building the PORTAGE LAKERS sc Portage Lake, ME

Canada Jay 2_23 by Kate Ellison

Blaine reported poor snow conditions on our local trails, putting an end to all grooming in Bridgton until more snow arrives. The Club’s Rally on February 18, based out of the Bridgton Community Center was a great success. Although local trails were not groomed and could not be used, there was excellent turnout for the indoor fun. The event included raffle tickets, a large Chinese Auc tion, as well as great food. Everyone enjoyed the hot chocolate, coffee, cheeseburgers, hot dogs, and desserts including brownies, cook ies, pies, and more, and the place was lively all day with plenty of good conversations. We thank the people, both snowmobilers and non-snowmobilers from Bridgton and sur rounding towns for attending and supporting our Club. Thanks everyone who worked on preparing for Rally Day, and for volunteering to work that day. Thanks to all the businesses that donated items for the Chinese Auction, and Special Thanks to Jackie Barber, Kathy Hendrix and Steve Emery for their work on the Chinese Auction. The Club Trip to Millinocket took place the 1st week of Feb., with 30 members of The Bridgton Easy Riders participating. The trip was organized, and arrangements were made for the hotel, and for restaurants where we could all get together for our evening meals, by Club member Steve Emery. Steve has vol unteered to do this very challenging job for our Club Trips for the past several years, and does a fantastic job. It is not easy to corral so

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