18 | Snowmobile VERMONT each year signing trails too, which gives him a chance to be out in the woods by himself enjoying nature and out of cell range for a bit. Please help me welcome to the stage this year’s Carmi Duso Award winner, the president of Essex county, director of Essex county, trailmaster for Essex county and the guy that signs a lot of trails for his own club in Island Pond: Dave Page. FOUNDER’S AWARD He has been a member of the Chester Snowmobile Club and their trailmaster since 1982. In addition to grooming, he cares for the coordination and execution of any trail and bridge maintenance. He also puts up and takes down trail signs. He trained three other groomers so they can learn the route, machine, and most importantly the landscape. He introduced a new volunteer to all his club’s landowners by going house to house this past summer in preparation of the upcoming season. He hates technology, but he updates the club’s trail conditions hotline religiously. He currently holds two positions on the Windsor county board as county director and vice president. He initially held the position of alternate director for about seven years before becoming county director for nine years and counting. He is now serving his sixth year as chairman of the Governor’s Council. For several years he has been a member of the Awards and Recognition Committee. This year’s Founder’s Award goes to Richard Jewett. THE HORIZON AWARD The Horizon Award is geared toward an individual who has made an impact on the snowmobile community with no time constraints on service. The individual receiving the Horizon Award this year has made significant strides for their club in the communication and public relations department and keeping the VAST membership informed. 50th Annual Meeting If you are on facebook at all, you have more than likely seen his posts highlighting trail conditions for his club, who is doing what, what’s happening next and vintage photos from the early days of the club. He is often behind the lens at numerous VAST events and this individual is also a huge asset on the PR and Marketing Committee for VAST. This year’s recipient for the Horizon Award is Mike Mutascio from the Lunenburg Polar Bears. BUSINESS PARTNER AWARD This year’s Business Partner Award goes to an organization that has gone outside the reaches of their normal scope of work. They went above and beyond and were instrumental in partnering with and the logistics of holding the Military Appreciation Ride-in this past season. They created events to interact with the civilians, gave one-on-one attention to those of all ages and shared what they experience in the military. This was an excellent event for the PR and Marketing Committee to revitalize and the Vermont National Guard helped to make it a successful experience for all that attended. This year’s recipient is the Vermont National Guard. DEALER OF THE YEAR AWARD The Dealer of the Year award goes to a dealer who goes above and beyond to promote the snowmobile industry in Vermont. This may not seem like such a big deal. After all, that’s what they are supposed to do if they want to sell snowmobiles. What makes this dealer different is that they aren’t located in Vermont. They are in Connecticut. They go the extra mile, they sell our TMAs, they work nonstop to promote our state as a destination state for snowmobiling. They also received an overwhelming amount of nominations for this award category. This year’s recipient for Dealer of the Year Award is Cofiell’s Sport and Power Equipment.