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Riders Rev Their Engines for annual International Snowmobile Festival

February 03, 2009 - MADAWASKA -- The 13th annual International Snowmobile Festival, featuring riding on both sides of the border all weekend for $30, will take place Feb. 6-8. More than 600 miles of trails have been expanded to include Caribou in Maine and St. Leonard and Grand Falls in New Brunswick.

"This year we have new trails and new adventures," said Mike Guerrette, a director of the festival. "We have some of the best trails in the country. Right now, the snowpack is around 80 inches in the Saint John Valley. That weekend there will be extra grooming. The people in the valley are known for their Franco-American hospitality. People are very warm and welcoming. There is always great food and great stories."

Last year, more than 300 snowmobilers registered for this event, and with gasoline prices down, organizers are hoping for a record turnout.

"Another thing that drives the festival is the amount or lack of snow – and snow drives the people here," said Stephen Hughes, executive director of the Greater Madawaska Chamber of Commerce. "Even if there isn't snow in other locations, we always have snow up here. It is an opportunity for people to come out and try a new trail system for a minimal cost."

You must have a current Maine or other state snowmobile registration to purchase the $30 festival ID, which allows snowmobiling on both sides of the border all weekend. This is quite a bargain – usually a three-day snowmobile pass in Canada for non-residents costs about $100.

Purchase of a festival ID also includes a spaghetti dinner with entertainment Friday night and a breakfast Sunday morning held at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Madawaska. There will also be a free shuttle provided after 4 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights to transport people from their hotels to the different locations where the events are held.

A moonlight snowmobile drag race will be held Saturday night at Club du Nord in Edmonton, New Brunswick, followed by music and dancing. The festival is a boost to the local economy with its success more critical this year because of the recession.

"We have people coming from as far as South Carolina, Pennsylvania, New York – all areas of the United States and some of the far-reaching areas of New Brunswick, all with the common theme of snowmobiling," said Hughes.

"The festival brings an influx of people to the community who stay at hotels, eat at restaurants and fill up at gas stations. There is a trickle-down effect that helps the whole economy," he said. "Once they come, we hope they make a second trip up here, maybe in another month or even next summer. We have the chance to promote our community."

You can purchase a festival ID from any of the local participating snowmobile clubs – with $5 of the cost being donated to the clubs for trail grooming expenses – or from the Greater Madawaska Chamber of Commerce.

"Right now, Aroostook County has one of the top trail systems in North America," said Hughes.

"The clubs have worked countless hours to promote good landowner relations," he said. "It is a credit to the clubs (that) we have such a great trail system, and without the landowners, we have nothing. We want to say a big thank you to the landowners for allowing the trails on their land."

For more information about the International Snowmobile Festival, go to www.isfim.net.

To register for the International Snowmobile Festival, contact the Greater Madawaska Chamber of Commerce at 728-7000 or e-mail valleyvisit@pwless.net

For more information about upcoming snowmobiling events, visit the Maine Snowmobile Association website at www.mesnow.com

Cathy Genthner is a registered Maine Guide and licensed by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to guide snowmobile trips.

CATHY GENTHNER, Portland Press Herald, January 29, 2009


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Regions: Presque Isle, Allagash


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