Wales Tales - January 2009

WOW! So far this season, we have received over 93 inches of snow here in Erie, Pa. Normally this early in the season we would only have 44.5 inches. It looks like we are perhaps on our way to setting a new seasonal record here. Our current seasonal record is 149.1 inches, but to get into our top ten, we only need to hit 116. We could be in the top ten in a week or so! Has everyone been out enjoying the snow? If not, there is still time, as we have a lot of season left. Don’t forget our upcoming poker run later this month on the 31st.

Membership Meeting: On Thursday night, December 18th the membership meeting was held at the Greene Township Building. Those in attendance enjoyed Christmas snacks after the meeting, which included discussions on the new groomer, the Ca$h for Ga$ fund raiser and the Food Pantry drive.

A change to our bylaws ARTICLE IV DUES, Section 3 is being proposed. (This change will be voted on at this month’s meeting on January 22, 2009.)

Current wording: Dues shall be paid for the membership period of November 1st to the following October 31st. Any member joining the Club after January 1st will not be charged a renewal fee for the following year.

Proposed wording: Dues shall be paid for the membership period of December 1st to the following November 30th.

Fundraisers: Our first fundraiser of the season was a success! $1,145.00 was raised by the Ca$h for Ga$ raffle for us to use to offset expenses. The winners were:

First Place winner $500 – Doug Dyleski

Second Place winner $250 – Lance Dunn, Jr

Third Place winner $150 – Gary Darr II

First Place Seller $25 – Mark Omniewski

A big Thank You to everyone that bought or sold Ca$h for Ga$ tickets on behalf of the club!

The Greene Township food pantry has donated a beautiful handmade quilt and pillow to our club to raffle off as a fundraiser to help with our expenses. We will be selling tickets for $2 each or 3 for $5. Look for future details.

Charity Drive: The third and final collection for the Greene Township food pantry was taken at the December meeting. With the donations that were mailed in and taken at the meeting, we added an unbelievable $264 to our total. It surely was the season of giving! While our membership number is small, their hearts are huge! The December additions brought our total to $500. The club voted to donate an additional $100, which raised the grand total to $600. Taking that number and doubling it with matching funds, makes the club’s total gift to the Food Pantry - $1,200. Wow ! ! That is just fantastic! The club, along with the Food Pantry, would like to thank you for your generosity. The Food Pantry will buy $17 of food with each dollar donated. So, the total charitable giving will provide $20,400 of food for needy area residents.

Trails: Thanks go out to Mark Sonney for taking the initiative to start the grooming this season. If you are able to help with the grooming, please let Mark know at (814) 866-5241. If you marked that you would like to help with grooming on your membership application, you may be getting a call.

Remember, the trail through the Game Lands does not open until January 22, 2009. Once it is open, please stay on the trail which the Game Commission approves for us to follow through the Game Lands. We would not want to lose this major connector to Phillipsville and the #4 trail to New York.

Be careful out there while you enjoy the snow!

When riding through Kirsch valley recently, Fred Morris and my son Josh and I noticed that one of the bridges had some support planks broken and missing. As a result, there was a 2-3 foot gap where a ski would normally ride across the bridge surface. Fearing an impending accident, we returned to the bridge with materials and quickly repaired it under the moonlight. If you happen to notice any of our trails that need work while you are out riding, please contact a Board member so it can be addressed.

Memberships: This year’s membership drive is now over. The 2008-09 membership stands at 85 members, which is down from last year’s 99 at this time. While we have lost a few previous members, there are 6 new first time members. Perhaps some previous members are waiting for our Poker Run to renew.

To our current membership, Thank You very much for your support.

65 of our current members have granted us use of their E-mail addresses for club correspondence. This saves the club over $27 every mailing; monies that can be used on trail improvements! Thanks! If you receive your club info by regular mail and have an E-mail address, please consider sharing it with us to reduce our postage bill. E-mail your address to TBowers3@roadrunner.com and I’ll add you to our list.

With or without snow, the club continues to incur operational expenses, such as insurance, postage, trail material and maintenance. Without sufficient membership the club can not continue to provide a viable trail system. There are a lot of snowmobilers out there! You see their tracks every time it snows. They ride the trails that the club works so hard to maintain. So, as you ride and talk to these snowmobilers, don’t be hesitant to ask them if they are a snowmobile club member. And if not - give them an application. Suggest they support an organization that helps provide a means for them to enjoy their sport.

Trails don’t just happen !

Acknowledgements: Again this year, Off Road Express has generously agreed to underwrite a portion of our trail grooming costs. Their contribution will go toward fuel for the grooming sleds. When you are at Off Road, remember to tell them Thanks! If you’re looking for a sled, Off Road has a large selection of late model sleds priced to sell – all makes and models. Check them out!

Poker Run: The Poker Run is Saturday, January 31, 2009. (No Snow Date 2/7/09).

Registration is at the Greene Township Municipal Building in our clubhouse room.

Registration is from 10 am to noon and the three (3) winning hands will be drawn at 4:00 p.m.

The cost to enter is $10 per playing hand for any club member and $15 per playing hand for non-club members. You can play as many hands as you would like.

 

All the trail stops are in PA this year so a NY registration is not necessary.

 

Plan on attending the Poker Run - it’s a great time. It is also a perfect time to introduce a friend to snowmobiling. See everyone Saturday 1/31/2009 for the 2009 Wales Sno-Drifters Poker Run.

Newsworthy: On January 17, Galaxy Motorsports is giving away a helmet and some t-shirts for a promotion to a new motorsports business. The items will be given away at Mound Grove on Sat. Jan 17, from 7pm to 11pm.

Next Meeting: The next general membership meeting will be held Thursday, January 22nd, at 8:00pm at the Greene Township Building on Tate road. The recent snowfall is helping this to be a great season so far - come to the meeting and tell us your tales.

See you at the meeting. - T. Bowers