Winter Update
The Powder Mill Snowmobile Club held it's annual Off-Highway Recreational Vehicle (OHRV) Safety Education Course in December. Congratulations to this year's nineteen students who passed the safety certification. We believe it is the responsibility of our club to help educate new riders on the responsible and safe operation of snowmobiles. We would like to thank the instructors Jack Wheeler and Larry Gaffney, and Marcia Berry, who in conjunction with the New Durham School, opened the building on a Saturday morning for our class.
We would also like to thank Conservation Officer Mark Hensel of the NH Fish & Game Department. The access to a Fish & Game officer gives everyone a chance to clarify rules and regulations as well as to understand their important role in our sport. The class was open to anyone who would be at least 12 by the end of the riding season. We required every student have a parent or guardian present, often the parents learn as much as the children. The OHRV courses are taught by New Hampshire Fish and Game Department-certified volunteer instructors. The safety course certifies children 12 years of age and older. The PowderMill Snowmobile Club encourages all snowmobilers to ride in a friendly and safe manner. Check back to our website for information on next year's class.
With all the early snow this year our grooming operations have been in full swing with both groomers running well. Thank you to the groomer operators for all the volunteered hours. PMSC has gained a reputation for great trail conditions. We've already used half our grooming budget and will be looking for donations to keep those trails flat so please remember to drop a little something in the donation cans. Thank you to all of our members for your patience while we work to rebuild our website. I apologize for the inconvenience. With the help of our many volunteers, we were still able to sell enough club memberships to keep our books balanced and put us in a good financial position to start trail work in the spring. PMSC sweatshirts and hats are now on sale. Please attend our monthly meeting and order yours! Our last meeting of the season is April 14th.
Our Adopt-a-Highway Day will be in May. No date is set at this time but it will be announced in the local newspapers, on the website, and via e-mail. Thank you to all those who have volunteered in the past and hopefully some new folks will pitch in.
Since this is the last issue until the fall, on behalf of the PMSC Board of Directors I would like to thank all of you for your interest and efforts and wish you a safe and happy summer.
Safe Travels
Fall Update
We've had a very busy fall season in preparation for what should be a favorable winter of snowmobiling in New Hampshire.
We started with our semi-annual Adopt-a-Highway trash pickup day. There were many hands available to help clean a two mile section of New Durham starting from the Farmington line. Thanks to David Briggs and his grandsons Chris Gallion and Brian Hanson (pictured below) and the many others who contributed their time.
Next was our first of what will likely be an annual Sled Swap. Though attendance was not as high as expected, we had great participation from a number of local businesses and members. I would like to especially thank the following businesses: 1) Johnson's Dairy Bar for hosting the event on their adjacent field, 2) Rochester Sports Center for offering the use of a Polaris Snowmobile to display next to the NHSA Raffle Table, 3) Torno's World Class Motorsports Inc. for bringing their sleds and four-wheelers, and 4) Robertson's Power & Sports for displaying their outerwear and for their generous donation of gift cards used in our raffles.
The raffle winners from the First Annual Sled Swap were:
50/50 raffle: Bill Tagerman (promptly donated back to the club)
Robertson's Gift Cards:
$30 Brittani Peaslee
$20 Tom and Aline Goss
$20 Bill Connors
$10 tba
$10 tba
Johnson's Dairy Bar Gift Certificates:
$25 Ray Gamble
$25 Jim Gamble (the Gamble brothers wagered and won)
And finally, thanks to Mike Gelinas and Carl Peaslee for finding and securing the purchase of a new (used) 2005 Tucker Terra 1000 groomer. It's identical to our present machine with only 225 hours. As I write this, Mike is preparing the final paperwork for the purchase. A Federal RTP grant, Grant-in-aid from the NH Bureau of Trails, and a loan from an active member will complete this transaction. This is a lot of work to coordinate, thanks guys. We should receive it by mid-December, so send in your memberships!
Also in mid-December, Vice President George Pevear Jr. has organized another OHRV Safety Training Class for December 15th from 8-4:30 at the New Durham Elementary School on Old Bay Road, New Durham. Please see the NH Fish & Game website for more details.
Please join us at our monthly meeting held the second Monday of every winter month at 7PM at The Hawg's Pen on Route 11 in Farmington. Bring your ideas and appetite and join us in their function room to catch up on the latest. We're open to comments and suggestions to make your club better.
Thank you for your continued support of our club and have a safe winter.
Tom Mason, President
