NEWSLETTER

JANUARY 2008

After a great start to the season we have taken a step back in early January with some warm temperatures and rain, if the rain had been snow it would have been WOW.

The Early Bird TMA program has gone well and membership for us and VAST in general is way ahead of last year, of course the snow helps. The Family TMA for 3 or more sleds and the Classic TMA at reduced rates have also had a positive effect on membership. There was some confusion because VAST did not mention the additional club and county dues in VAST News and many people thought that the TMA prices were just the VAST portion. VAST cleared that up in the December issue. All TMA’s are sold with the VAST, Club, and County dues.

The early infusion of money has helped many clubs and VAST operate from day one of the season and it helps when planning trail projects and equipment upgrades knowing the funds are there.

TMA’s are available at Chester Hardware and Enfield Motor Sports in Enfield CT. Remember the hardware store and EMS are doing this to help the club and as a convenience to you so be patient with them, their business must come first.

Also a special thanks to club Treasurer and Membership Chairman Don Strohmeyer for his many hours of paperwork keeping track of the TMA’s, paying the bills and providing excellent financial information.

Our Poker Run is scheduled for February 17^th, the last 2 years we have had to cancel due to lack of snow, keep your fingers crossed for better luck this year. We will be holding the Poker Run this year in conjunction with the Town of Chester Winter Festival. The Poker Run is a nice way to meet other club members and have a leisurely ride and win a prize. The Winter Festival is a bonus, I’m told there will be dog sled teams and possibly a chance to get a ride in the club groomer. Check our home page for details.

After a lot of work by Vice President Mike Westine for over a year and with the generosity of Tim Mueller giving the club a lease for the land at Tater Hill C.C. we are close to having our permits to build a new garage for our Tucker. The location will provide easy access by truck and it’s a good central location for grooming. The garage is being built with super high insulation value. Bright, durable, waterproof interior walls, high efficacy lighting and heating to keep operating costs low and provide a secure storage area that will save our groomer operators hours every week in travel time and thawing and de-icing.

Dick Jewett has not been able to put in his typical long hours due to some health issues but he is in that groomer 24 hours a day in his heart. He still puts in as many hours as he can and helps with a lot of other club and trail needs. We hope to have Dick back a full strength next season. Dick Bigwood has increased his hours in the groomer and we have one or two other volunteers helping with the grooming duties. Remember, this is not a paying job, these guys are all volunteers.

We are looking for more active club members to handle the many chores that are necessary for running the club and building and maintaining the trails. Club meeting are generally the first Sunday of the month September – April with a season ending meeting and BBQ sometime in May. So if this is something you would like to get involved in or just want to learn more about the club and what it takes to run it come to a meeting.

Enjoy the rest of the winter and as always

THINK SNOW, THINK SNOW OFTEN