RANGELEY — A blanket of fresh snow welcomed snowmobilers for the 42nd annual Snodeo held Thursday, Jan. 30 through Saturday, Feb. 1.
Nearly a foot of new snow fell in the week leading up to the three-day event. Friday night saw even more snow, giving Saturday’s activities plenty of fresh powder.
The event is Rangeley Lakes Snowmobile Club’s largest fundraiser of the year. Money raised will help the club groom about 170 miles of snowmobile trails in the region, board member Chris Wargo said.
The weekend kicked off with a Chili and Chowder Cookoff held for the first time at Sarge’s Sports Pub and Grub. Judge’s awarded the following top prizes: Stormy Delight – Rangeley Inn; Mild Sledder’s Delight – Sarge’s Pub and Grub; Tightline 5 Alarm – Portage; and Under the Sea Chowdah – Black Pearl. The People’s Choice award went to Sarge’s Pub and Grub.
Thursday’s events also included Casino Night at Rangeley Inn. On Friday, a lively live auction was held at Moose Alley. Auctioned items included vacation stays, boat and recreational vehicle rentals, furniture, artwork, a private four course dinner for eight; and a gas stove.
Saturday kicked off with the kid’s cardboard sled race at Mingo Springs Golf Course. The race was not a timed traditional race. Children were invited to take as many runs as they would like, or as many runs as parents were willing to help with transporting sled back up hill. Trophies are awarded based on multiple runs rather than a single trip down the hill. The delightful laughter of children playing was echoed by parents, spectators and judges at the bottom of the hill.
“With the race scheduled to start at 9:30, I was nervous at 9:25 when there was only one sled here,” said organizer John “Gramps” Merriman.
As if on cue, participants started arriving, towing their hand-crafted sleds decorated with the weekend’s neon ’90s theme. More than a dozen children traversed uphill for multiple runs downhill to see who would take home trophies for the Longest Run, Best Decorated and Best Crash.
Time after time, Grace LaBree and Blakely Cantin, both of Vermont, maneuvered their neon blue Mystery Machine the furthest and came out the clear winner in the Longest Run category. The Best Crash trophy went to Juniper Rice of Rangeley with her neon Dinosaur sled. Her sister, Aspen Rice, took the trophy for Best Decorated with a cheerfully decorated bus.
“This was a really good turn out,” Merriman said as he handed out medals for all participants.
Saturday’s main event, the RaveX Outer Limits Freestyle show, drew hundreds of spectators. Heavy wind paused the show several times but professional snowmobilers were able to get in a few aerial acrobatic stunts, much to the delight of the crowd.
Saturday’s events also included radar runs held at Bald Mountain Camps. Fireworks and a neon-themed parade wrapped up the festivities Saturday night.
