BETHEL — Carter’s Cross-Country Ski Center will host its 28th annual Mr. Machine tour on Sunday, March 3.

Owner David Carter said any resident interested in participating should show up around 11 a.m. at the ski center at 786 Intervale Road.

When the Mr. Machine event began 28 years ago, it was in the form of a triathlon held at the ski center, Carter said.

“For the first 15 years or so, it was a triathlon that began in Oxford,” Carter said. “We would snowshoe around a field out back, cut across my neighbor’s lawn and there were canoes and kayaks waiting on the river. We’d canoe down and ski back the rest of the way.”

Carter said that over time, the triathlon turned into a tour of the local slopes and trails behind the ski center.

“As we all got older, it became less of a competition,” Carter said. “We turned it into a day, taking a relaxed tour through the trails and the mountain. It was a chance to get together, and most of us old folks just end up sharing stories and talking.”

Following the tour of the trails, a potluck dinner will be hosted at the ski center.

“People can bring any type of food they want and share it with one another,” Carter said. “Sometimes, we get people bringing desserts, too. I think it’s certainly a lot of fun.”

Carter predicted that anywhere between 10 and 30 people would show up, depending on the weather.

mdaigle@sunjournal.com

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