'The Buzz' Sno-Bees Newsletter

January 2023

Next Meeting: Wednesday, 1/11/23, 7 PM at the Beehive. All are welcome

At least we all got the chance to ride a little bit before Mother Nature decided that was enough! Special thanks to Matt and Crew in getting our trails rolled, dragged and ready to ride. Then, all hell broke loose and we had major trees down all over our trail system. Again, special thanks to the herculean effort to Matt and Crew in getting things cleared. Please see the photos below to get a sense of the devastation! We need everyone’s effort to pray for snow to get our season going!!

President's Message

It's times like this that really make you appreciate what an awesome group we have. Our trails were simply hammered by the storm with countless blowdowns involving large trees ripped out by the root. In a few areas, we were faced with a wall of downed trees 6'-8' high blocking the trail. When I asked Dave if he had ever seen anything like it, he could only relate to the '98 storm which he felt was more widespread; but did not produce the volume and size of downed trees we saw in this storm. As John mentions, Dave and Matt did an amazing job mobilizing their teams and getting our trails cleared from all the storm damage. It really was a team effort, with 20+ volunteers stepping up to assist. Matt, Dave and crew also worked with landowners to harvest log lengths of the downed trees where possible to be used for lumber. My sincerest thanks goes out to all of you - we could not have done it without you.

If anyone wonders why buy a TMA when there's no snow - cleanups like this are just one example of what it takes to make and maintain a trail. Thank you to all our members, your TMA dollars are being put to good use.

Despite all the damage, the trails are clear, both groomers got a little more TLC in the shop and we are ready to go. Like everyone else in the state, we just need snow!

Our 52 miles of trails are located on 179 parcels of land involving approximately 150 landowners. Please thank a landowner whenever you can. Without them, we have no trails.

- Steve "'Let it snow already !" Avery

My sled was happy for a short time while I managed to squeeze in a couple of rides before the warmup. WN96 in the background sporting some new signs on a newly rerouted section of trail that is simply beautiful!

Membership

Early-Bird TMA Sales ended December 15th with regular In-Seasons sales underway now. Big shout out to all who purchased TMAs up until now – THANK YOU. Although December sales have been strong, we are still trying to play catch-up from the slow start due to unseasonably warm temps in October and November. After the recent ice and windstorm, we, as a club, were grateful for all the early TMA purchases so we had the financial boost to help cover the cost of the storm clean-up. We have such an amazing group of members, volunteers and landowners that work together to make Sno-Bees Snowmobile Club of Barre a success.

Please consider choosing Sno-Bees of Barre when purchasing your TMA. Follow us on Facebook: Sno-Bees Snowmobiles Club of Barre and visit our website www.snobees.com. Share with friends and family.

Please also see our ad in the next issue of VAST News!

- Francine " can't wait to ride" Perkins

$ 20 Monthly Raffle

Here are your December raffle winners !

$25

Travis Burbank
Shawn Germaine
Fairfax Salvage
Dave Watson

$50

Les Wheeler
Danielle Rogers
Bill Abbott-Koch

$100

Andy Alexander
Robin Lavender

Thanks to all who have supported this special fundraiser! Good luck next month!

- John “Thank you all” Plante – Dave “Got it done” Watson

Sno-Bees Dinner Raffle

We had a very successful 2022 Official Sno-Bees Dinner Raffle last month! Thank you all who participated! We had a record turnout that raised significant money for our Club. Special thanks to Committee Members Dave "Midnight Rider” Watson and John “You Da Man” Plante for their help putting this all together. Thanks also to Brandi Jagemann and Todd Heath for helping out at our registration table and to Steve “650 Matryx” Avery and Steve “I got the numbers right” Conti for keeping the raffle number records and selling additional ball tickets. We also want to thank those that gave us their mailing address so that we can mail out invites next year. Special thanks to Campo Di Vino for donating bottles of Prosecco to pass out to lucky winners. We also want to give a special shout out to Jarrett “Let’s Go Riding” Laquerre, Laquerre’s Polaris, for donating some snowmobile gear for the raffle. This was certainly the social event of the Season!!

Check out a complete account here, including prize winners.

- Bob Campo

Trail Support Signboard

The signboard, new flag and lights, survived the storm ! We even picked up some new sponsors. Thank you!

Evans Plumbing and Heating - Jason Evans
Summer Street Auto - new ownership
Some updated signs from long time sponsor, Pepin Granite

We still have room ! Click here to learn how to reserve your space!

- Bruce “old sleds rule" Rancourt, Director

Trails

Thank you to all who helped out with clearing our trails after the wicked winds and tree blow downs. See the pictures below to get an idea of what we faced.

Mark Moran on the saw, with both groomers looking on.

Special thanks to all who helped. We had a massive tree fall just up from the Bee Hive going to the Valley Trail. Please see the above picture of Mark “This Tree is Nothing” Moran. Big thanks for jumping in and taking on this massive tree! Special thanks to crews that went out on their own. The mountain was taken care of by Brent, Adam, Jamieson and Alex. Great job boys! Others who helped out included: Jim Bernier, Bryan Campbell, Pat Ross, Jamie Evans, Dave and Jordan Kittredge, Ed Leszko Paul Swann and special honorable mention to Dave “Midnight Logger” Watson for his strong commitment to clear the way. Special thanks to all Sno-Bees Official Landowners for their help and understanding with this emergency situation. We have tried to get to all trails, but I am asking that our Sno-Bees Trail Trustees inspect their trails to make sure that all is open.

Once trails open and we start grooming again, please give our trails a chance to firm up. Please do not follow the groomer and spin off the groom. Please TREAD LIGHLY we you come upon a freshly groomed trail. Just a reminder that after-market exhaust pipes are illegal and operators could be fined

- Matt “Chainsaw Guru” Marsh, Trailmaster

The trail us under there somewhere!

Paul Swann surveying the damage

Volunteers Bryan Campbell and Pat Ross; just a few of the group helping out that day.

Dave in the excavator; everyone else on chainsaw or brush hauling duty. Jamie Evans, Pat, Matt, and Bryan

Paul Systo and his excavator with brushing attachment cleaning up the trail

Club Merch

Check out our online store for your Sno-Bees merch. If can't find exactly what you are looking for online , feel free to reach out at the staff at Granite City Graphics and they can set you up.

Let's Ride!

In closing, for those that are planning their estates now or in the future, please consider including Sno-Bees in the mix if you are looking to leave some of your assets for the community. Please mention this to your friends and family if they are in this process as well. If there are questions on how to do this, feel free to reach out to me. Thank you!

Respectfully submitted,

John “Got it in the House” Plante

Director

Sno-Bees of Barre

(802) 249-0666