FALL 2007 TRAIL MAINTENANCE STATUS

December 3 update:

Bob Stickney reported that he and Louise have almost finished staking fields.  Done so far are Zinck's airstrip, the field near the bowling alley, the fields near the old Rumford Center school, the fields along the Andover Road, the field along the Whippoorwill Road, the fields along Route 232, the "race track" in Rumford Corner, and Cottrill's field adjacent to the Wyman Hill Road. 

November 23 update:

Bob Stickney reported that he and Louise have completed putting up stop signs and stop-ahead signs at all road crossings. (For the curious, our trail system has 37 road crossings.)

Fern Dumoulin reported that he, Gene Knox, Tom Reed, and Gordon Phillips have completed clearing and brushing a re-route of a portion of Trail 12 in Milton.  This was an important task because it enables us to keep all of Trail 12 open this winter. 

November 18 update:

As of this date, the following bridges have been re-planked and/or rebuilt:

     ITS 82 - Three bridges have been re-planked.  One of them is south of the Churchill Bridge, and the other two are along the stretch of trail between Whitecap and Black Mountain.

     Trail 12 - One bridge near Rumford Center (on the west side of the Andover Road) has been rebuilt.  A second one has been re-planked.

     Swain Pond Trail - The third bridge north of the Club House has been re-planked.

Bob and Louise Stickney have brushed out nearly all of the High School Trail.  There is approx one-half mile of trail west of the High School that still needs to be brushed.

Bob and Louise have also put up stop signs and stop-ahead signs at 13 of our 37 road crossings.

November 1

Rob Cameron has brushed out the Cameron Trail.  He also brushed out Trail 17 from where Stan Horne left off to the intersection of Trail 12.

October 30

Maurice Dorey inspected Trail 12 from Rumford Point to Kimball's Gate.  He reports that the trail is in good shape and needs no additional brushing.

October 25

Dale Gaudin spent Sunday, 10/21, brushing a section of ITS 82 between Whitecap and Black Mountain.  During the middle of this week, Fern Dumoulin, Gordon Phillips, and Tom Reed completely brushed out ITS 82 from the Andover junction to the gated area of Red Hill.  They used chain saws, the Club brush saw, and the Club's sickle bar mower on Gordon's tractor.  They cleared the trail 20-30 feet wide. 

October 14

The Red Hill Trail from its junction with ITS 82 to Patricks camp has been done.

Stan Horne brushed out approximately 1.5 miles of Trail 17.  Also last week, Fern Dumoulin, Gene Knox, and Gordon Phillips brushed out ITS 82 from the Black Bridge to the Beliveau Road.  Tom Reed and Fern Dumoulin also brushed out approximately a mile of Trail 12 near the Andover Road.

(See the highlighted areas on the map below to see where trail work has been done.)

The ATV Club used an excavator along the Horseshoe Valley Road which helped to smooth the surface considerably.

The two bridges at the top of the hill between Black Mountain and Whitecap will need to be re-decked, as well as one on the Swain Pond Trail on the south side of Swain Pond.

Gordon is looking into the possibility of rerouting the section of the Swain Pond Trail from the ITS 82 Andover junction to the Horseshoe Valley Road.  This would eliminate the rough section through the woods.

The following table lists some sections of trail that need brushing:

Please report any trail work you do by calling 364-3848 or by e-mailing info@snowmobilerumford.com so that we can update this list.  Thanks so much for your help!

At the MSA Annual Meeting and Banquet on April 21, the Rumford Polar Bears Snowmobile Club was chosen by the Maine Snowmobile Association as Snowmobile Club of the Year!  Many thanks to those members who volunteer hundreds of hours each year to help make snowmobiling in the Western Mountains a great winter experience.

OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS

ELECTED FOR 2007-08

The following officers and directors at-large were elected at the Annual Meeting held on March 22, 2007:

• President - Rob Cameron
• Vice-President - Fern Dumoulin
• Treasurer - Bob Stickney
• Secretary - Louise Stickney
• Trailmaster - Gordon Phillips
• Director-at-large - Dan Stearns
• Director-at-large - John Blais

OXFORD COUNTY ARC

32nd ANNUAL RIDE-IN

After dinner, guest speaker Paul Davis, MSA Vice President, thanked the landowners for keeping their land accessible for snowmobiling.   He also spoke about current access issues confronting the snowmobile community in other parts of the State. 

CLUB OFFICERS ELECTED

The annual election of officers for the Rumford Polar Bears Snowmobile Club took place at the Club meeting held on Thursday, March 23, 2006. 

The election results were as follows:

• President - Rob Cameron
• Vice President - Fern Dumoulin
• Treasurer - Bob Stickney
• Secretary - Louise Stickney
• Trail Master - Gordon Phillips
• Safety Officer - Tom Reed

Ron Russell graciously volunteered to serve as Chairman of the Membership Committee, a job which he had been doing during the time he served as treasurer.

At this same meeting, the By-Laws were amended to change the frequency of meetings.   The Club will meet on the second Thursday of each month from September through April.

After dinner, guests were entertained by WCSH TV personality Bill Green. His colorful stories had everyone laughing!

This yearly dinner for Rumford Landowners is our opportunity to show our appreciation to them for allowing snowmobilers to use their land.

If you've been reading the Polar Bears Club Reports and the Dixfield Poodunck Club Reports in the MSA Maine Snowmobiler newspaper, you are aware of the intense competition going on between these two area clubs to recruit new members. 

At the beginning of the season, Ron Russell of the Polar Bears swore to "beat the pants off" Jon Holmes and he worked tirelessly to make that happen (click here to see one way he brought in new members).  His efforts really paid off because the Rumford Polar Bears Snowmobile club was the fifth largest in the state, with 189 members!  However, it wasn't quite enough to beat Jon and the Dixfield Poodunck Snowmobile Club which was the fourth largest club, with 197 members.

This year, the MSA decided to recognize Ron and Jon for their hard work. The "Drop Your Pants for the MSA" was a surprise award presented to Ron and Jon at the MSA banquet.  Congratulations to both of these hard-working club members!

We got lucky this year and had fantastic weather for our Field Day.  There was a good crowd on hand, even though there were several other activities taking place in the area.

During the Field Day, a special presentation of a trail sign was made to Gordon Phillips for his countless hours of dedication to the Rumford Polar Bears Snowmobile Club. Gordon will decide on whether to have a bridge, a trail, or a trail intersection named in his honor.  As Trail Master for the club, Gordon works tirelessly all year long to make sure the snowmobile trail system is the best that it can be.  His efforts are greatly appreciated by all who use the trails.

FEBRUARY CLUB RIDE

Under the leadership of Gary Clement, Chris Dickson, and Dan Stearns, 14 Rumford Polar Bear Snowmobile Club members participated in a club ride on February 19, 2005.

POLAR BEARS PARTICIPATE IN OXFORD COUNTY ARC RIDE-IN

A GET WELL WISH

Gene Knox, one of our core of hard-working groomer operators, recently underwent cardiovascular surgery.  We all want to wish Gene a speedy recovery.  We'll certainly miss his skilled operation of the Tucker!  Hope to see you back on the trails soon, Gene!

THANK YOU CHERYL LYONS!

At the December 23, 2004, meeting of the Polar Bears, the Club recognized Cheryl Lyons for her outstanding efforts in selling Maine Snowmobile Association (MSA) Super Raffle tickets for us.  Cheryl works as a clerk at Z&Z Variety and comes in contact with many people in the course of her work. Obviously, she is an excellent sales person, as she sold 669 Super Raffle tickets this year, which was more than double what we sold last year!  What a remarkable accomplishment, and she's not even a snowmobiler!  We thank Cheryl very much for helping our Club.  And it was a big help, because for every $2 ticket that she sold, the Club got to keep $1.  Cheryl was presented with a certificate of appreciation and a gift certificate for dinner at the Penalty Box Restaurant.

Of course, Cheryl wouldn't have been able to sell tickets at work with out the support of her boss.  As a thank you, Z&Z Variety was presented with a complimentary business membership to the Rumford Polar Bears.  This membership entitles Z&Z Variety to be listed each month in the MSA snowmobiling newspaper.

The drawing for the 5 Area Clubs Cash Raffle took place at the "Think Snow" Dance on December 4, 2004.  The lucky winner of first prize of $1000 was Tommy Marshall.  Second prize of $500 was won by Elizabeth Churchill, and the third prize of $300 was won by Del Tipple.  Congratulations to all of you!  And to all who purchased raffle tickets, thanks for your support of the area snowmobile clubs.

THANK YOU LANDOWNERS!

We can never say "thank you" enough to all the generous landowners who allow us to use their land for our snowmobile trails!  Each year we show our appreciation to our wonderful landowners by holding a Landowner Appreciation Dinner. 

This year, the dinner was held on Thursday, November 4, 2004, at the Rumford Eagles Hall.  We were so pleased to have 90 landowners and club members attend.  Click here for more photos.

As you ride the trails this winter, please keep in mind that you are riding on private property which has been graciously opened to us for our snowmobiling pleasure.  In order to keep this privilege, we need to be respectful of the land on which we ride:  stay on the marked trails and carry out all litter.

On Tuesday, October 19, 2004, Rumford Polar Bears Snowmobile Club members and Rumford town officials traveled to the Augusta Elks Lodge to attend a special awards ceremony and dinner.

Each year, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Landowner Relations Program requests snowmobile clubs throughout the state to submit nominations for Landowner of the Year. This year, the Town of Rumford was chosen as Municipal Landowner of the Year!

Congratulations to the Town of Rumford!  We look forward to many more years of working together to promote the sport of snowmobiling!

If you would like to read the narrative which the Club submitted to nominate the Town, please click here.

This is the plaque presented to the Town of Rumford as Municipal Landowner of the Year. (Click on photo for a larger view.)

Jon Holmes from the Poodunck Snowmobile Club of Dixfield was also in attendance at the awards dinner.  Some people have all the luck!  As you can see by the photo, Jon was the happy winner of the 50/50 drawing which was well over $100!

ALTERNATIVE HOUSING!

POLAR BEARS JOIN IN

FIGHT AGAINST CANCER

On May 21 and 22, 2004, the Rumford Polar Bears Snowmobile Club entered a team in the Relay for Life at Hosmer Field in Rumford.  The American Cancer Society's Relay for Life is a team-based, overnight event to raise funds for cancer research, education, advocacy, and patient service programs.  There was a Polar Bear Club member walking on the track during the 18 hour event. 

The Polar Bears team raised $2,800 for the American Cancer Society through sponsorships from friends, family and Club members!  Way to go Polar Bears!!!

The Snow Castle

Click here to see pictures of the construction of the snow castle.

Spirits weren't dampened in spite of clouds and the threat of rain showers, as the Polar Bears Second Annual Field Day got under way on Saturday, March 6, 2004.  Everyone was determined to make the best of it and enjoy the day.

And that's just what we did!  With lots of smiles, laughter, good food, and great sliding, the Field Day was a wonderful success.  Although it was a bit disappointing that the poor weather and lack of snow kept some people from attending, it was very heartening to see so many club members participating and to feel the spirit of community flowing amongst us.  You can see what fun we had by clicking here to see the photos taken throughout the day.

Congratulations to Fern Dumoulin!  At a special ceremony during the Field Day, Fern was honored for his many years of service to the Rumford Polar Bears Snowmobile Club.  Fern has been volunteering his time to the Club since 1974.  We are very grateful for his efforts and hope he'll continue with the Club for many more years!

Club President Rob Cameron presents Fern Dumoulin with a sign honoring

him for his many years of volunteer work for the Club.  Fern has chosen

to have a section of snowmobile trail named in his honor. 

Many thanks to all who helped to make our Second Annual Field Day a success:  McDonald's and Sam's for gift certificates for the kids' goodie bags; Pearl and Ernest Phillips and Jim Powers for the free use of their fields; Betty and Fern Dumoulin for making "Fern's Famous Beef Stew"; Seltzer & Rydholm for the banner and soda; the Rumford Public Works Dept for the use of traffic cones; Dunkin Donuts for the discount on coffee and doughnuts; MeadWestvaco for the use of their picnic tables; Eric Designs for the discount on the Fern Dumoulin trail signs; Carrabassett Spring Water Company for the board stock for the Poker Run display; and lastly, all the many club members who so willingly gave of their time and energy before, during, and after the event.

WHOSE BIRTHDAY WAS IT?

The Club entered a float in the annual Christmas in the Valley Parade. This year our float won First Prize (non-profit catagory)! The parade theme this year was “Disney in the Valley.” The float, designed by Diane Mitchell, depicted Cinderella's winter coach, with a snow castle in the back of a pick-up truck, followed by Cinderella riding a snowmobile encased in a stylized "pumpkin". Accompanying Cinderella were three mice, two polar bears (each holding one of the glass slippers), and Cinderella's Fairy God-mother. Thanks to Scott Gauvin for letting us use his sled, and Jim Knight for the use of his generator. Thanks to Diane and Brian Mitchell, Rob and Louanne Cameron, and Louise Stickney for their work in building the float. Special thanks go out to Calpine for their assistance with this year’s float.

As area snowmobilers gathered at the Eagles Hall in Rumford for the annual Think Snow Dance, the snow was falling and piling up rapidly.  By the end of the next day, Sunday, December 7th, 34 inches of snow had accumulated on the ground.  All that positive thinking must have done the trick!

Six area clubs sponsored the dance.  Participating clubs were Byron/Roxbury Slippery Sliders, Carthage Webb River Valley, Dixfield Poodunck, Mexico Trail Blazers SC, Peru SC, and Rumford Polar Bears. 

A Presidential Conference - Gary Wentzel, President of the Mexico Trail

Blazers, Jon Holmes, President of the Dixfield Poodunck Club,

and Rob Cameron, President of the Rumford Polar Bears

Dance music was provided by Johnny Plus One from Portland. 

People attending the dance had the chance to purchase raffle tickets for items donated by the six-area clubs.  At 10:30 pm the eagerly awaited drawing for the 6-Area Clubs Snowmachine Raffle was held.  This year's lucky winner was Peg Heintz from Dixfield.  She will have a choice of a 2004 Ski Doo Legend 380 with RER (from Frechettes Sales & Service in Dixfield), or a 2004 Arctic Cat ATV 4x4 or $3,000 Cash (from Mt. Valley Sports in Peru).  The winner of the $200 second prize was Amanda Blodgett of Mexico.  The $100 third prize was won by Scott Grassette of Rumford.

Rob and Louanne Cameron announce the raffle winners

Once again the Think Snow dance was well attended and a great success ... especially since it brought all that snow!  What a way to kick off the snowmobile season!

Some of the more than 150 people that attended the dance

On October 30, 2003, the Rumford Polar Bears Snowmobile Club hosted a special evening to recognize area landowners.  If it were not for the generosity of these landowners, our trail system would not exist.  We can't thank them enough for allowing us to snowmobile on their land!

Ron Russell greets arriving guests.

Click here to read the story and see more photos.

JOHN E. BLAIS RECOGNIZED

At a recent meeting of the Rumford Polar Bears Snowmobile Club, John E. Blais was recognized for the work he has done for the Club over the last five years.  In addition to his faithful attendance at Club meetings, where he was in charge of the 50/50 drawing, he has also been very active in trail grooming during the winter months and trail maintenance during the off-season.  John is a junior at Mountain Valley High School.

Many thanks for your hard work and dedication, John!

2003 FAMILY FIELD DAY

A GREAT SUCCESS!

We had beautiful weather for the Family Field Day on March 1st.  Temperatures were in the 30's and there wasn't a cloud in the sky!  Over 100 people attended the event during the course for the day.

The Poker Run drew over 50 riders.  The winners were Gordon Phillips in first place, Buddy Bouchard in second, and Ken MacFawn in third place.  Congratulations, gentlemen!

The Polar Bear slide got a lot of use by children and adults! Everyone wanted to give it a try.

Other activities included a three-legged race, a ring-toss game, and balloon toys fashioned by Diane Mitchell.  For the older crowd, Chris Dickson and Gary Clement came up with some interesting races using one of the Club's utility sleds:  a ball and broom race (one person drives the sled through the slalom course, and the passenger pushes a ball on the ground with a broom), a slalom race - in reverse, and a ping-pong ball carry (the driver must carry the ball in a spoon held in the mouth). 

And, of course, there was food, and lots of it!  Around 85 people enjoyed the lunch.  Fern Dumoulin's beef stew was delicious and a welcome addition to the menu.  There was also ziti and sausage, hot dogs and rolls, biscuits, yeast rolls, cookies, soda, hot chocolate, and coffee. 

At one o'clock, the crowd gathered to watch a special presentation to honor long-time club member and dedicated volunteer, Ivan Arsenault. The Club recognized Ivan by naming a section of snowmobile trail after him. The trail will be marked at both ends by signs which were presented to Ivan by Club President Rob Cameron.  Your hard work for the Club since 1968 is greatly appreciated, Ivan!

And many thanks also to all the club members who volunteered their time to make this event a great success!

PAST CLUB RIDES

Feb 19, 2005 Club Ride (Click to view photos and story)

Feb. 7th, 2004 Club Ride (click to view photos and story)

Feb. 1st, 2003 Club Ride (click to view photos and story)
Jan. 25th, 2003 Club Ride (click to view photos and story)