What a great winter!  The trails were great all winter and after the big snow we got the first week of March, we had superior riding conditions.    A big “thank you” to the groomer drivers who did an exceptional job working night after night after the big snows we got in March to give us one final month of great riding!!! 

Easy  Bucks winners at the March meeting were Mark Kelley of Stoughton, Mass. and Cheryl Durkee of Waldoboro, Maine.  Congratulations!

By the time you get this newsletter, the April meeting will have already taken place.  The May meeting will be held on May 21^st (note date change) at the Rangeley Region Guides and Sportsman’s Club House in Oquossoc.  As usual, dinner will be served at 6:30 PM with the meeting to follow.  Nominations for Board of Directors will be taken at this meeting.  We only have one Board Member with term expiring this year.  That is Tim Lyons and he has indicated that he would like to remain on the Board.  Our Charter with the State of Maine allows us to have up to 15 Board Members and we have 11 at the present time.  If you would like to nominate someone to be on the Board, please let us know by writing the Club at the above address or attend the meeting in May and make your nomination.  Election of Officers will be held at the June meeting and you will receive a newsletter before that meeting.

The work doesn’t stop when snowmobiling ends.  As soon as the mud dries up and we can get out on the trails, the signs have to come down, the trash has to be picked up, any damage done to landowners property has to be repaired.  Also, the groomers need maintenance.  Plans for next year need to be worked on.  We are hoping to organize more events for next year.   Any suggestions would be welcome.

As many of you already know, the Rangeley Lakes Snowmobile Club lost a very close and valuable friend on Saturday, April 2^nd.  Paul Jaffarian, age 46, died of a heart attack while on his snowmobile riding with his daughter, Michelle.  Paul and his wife, Patty, have been members of the Club for many years.  They have a home here in Rangeley but until this past Fall, their main residence was in Atkinson, NH.  Paul purchased the D.C. Morton Texaco gas station on Main Street and they moved to Rangeley permanently.  If any of you gassed up your snowmobiles at the Texaco station this winter, you most likely met Paul – he worked there every day.  The first thing Paul did when he opened his business was to call me up and say “I’m here permanently now, I want to help the Club, tell me what I can do”.  All winter, he had been selling vests, hats, t-shirts, badges, memberships and collecting donations for the grooming fund.  Paul called me on Friday, the day before his death, to tell me that Arctic Cat had just awarded him the dealership for the Rangeley area.  Paul will be greatly missed by everyone!!  Donations in his memory may be made to The Paul Jaffarian Memorial Fund, c/o Franklin Savings Bank, PO Box 650, Rangeley, ME 04970.

Please, if your address changes, let us know.  Almost every time the newsletter goes out, we get some returned to us because someone has moved and not given us their new address. 

The groomer barn has been completed.  It is located at 722 Loon Lake Road in Rangeley.  We are working on getting the plaque made to put on the side of the building listing all donations to date.  We are still accepting donations for this project.  The club had to use about $12,000 of its money to complete the project and we will continue fundraising until this money is put back in the Club’s operating account.

Enclosed with this newsletter, you will find a list of individuals and business who donated cash, labor, materials and services during the construction of the groomer barn.  Also enclosed is a list of individuals who donated time getting the trails ready for the snowmobile season.  The people spent hours out on the trails cutting brush, clearing debris, putting signs up, and building and repairing bridges.  There is always a lot of work to do to get the trails ready for grooming. 

A special thank you to Linc Avery, our webmaster, and Greg Kolligian.  These two people were entirely responsible for the web cam this year.  Greg donated the web cam to the club and Linc maintained it all winter.  Linc also donated $576.46 in expenses to keep the camera running.  This is a great asset to our web page.  Thanks Linc and Greg!