Military Appreciation Ride-In By Carmin Lemery VAST hosted the Military Appreciation Ride-In on Feb. 17 at the Oxbow Park in Morrisville and what a day it was! It was perfect day weather-wise and trail conditions couldn’t have been better. Though “thank you” will never be enough, we need to thank our military and their families for all that they do and sacrifice for all of us. We had the Vermont National Guard attending, serving hot chocolate and displaying one of their many wheeled vehicles. Buffalo Mountain Sports and Laquerres Marine and Sport had demo sleds for folks to try throughout the day. Power Play Sports offered snowshoes to try out. In the Mix DJ services kept us informed of the day’s events and gave us some tunes that filled the blue sky. I must not forget to thank Operation Veteran Off-Road, Blue Star Mothers, Morrisville Boy Scouts of America and Fowler’s R&R ranch for having informational booths and Green Mountain Snowmobile Adventures for the 120cc sleds for the kids to ride. Hannaford’s donated food to the event. The snowmobile clubs of Lamoille county cooked and had groomers on display. Thank you also to the town of Morrisville for the use of the field, RK Miles, VAST staff, Perry Armstrong of Rain or Shine Tent Company, Morrisville VFW, The American Legion, Morrisville Fire and Rescue for taking care of the bonfire and s’mores. Thank you to Representative Gary Nolan who was our guest speaker for the afternoon. Make sure you join us next year! Theodore Hendershot is 6 years old and the son of Staff Sargeant Charles Hendershot. This was his first time driving a snowmobile. Nine-year-old Addyson Cheney rides in the background. Her dad is John Cheney, president of the Lamoille County Sno-packers. The Operation Veteran Off-Road mission statement is “to honor and encourage veterans from all branches of the military, while providing them with a healthy social environment with opportunities to connect with other veterans who share an interest in outdoor adventure.” VAST raised $200 to benefit them through aTMA raffle at the event. Brennen,Teresa and Jason Marsh operate the non-profit. Find out more at opvetoff-road.com. Marilyn Davis, from Fowler’s R&R Ranch sits at her display booth. The ranch “unites veterans with their community through marketable skills such as farming, mechanics and woodworking.” Learn more at www.fowlersrandr.org. Frosty was a popular guy throughout the day! Here he poses with 4-year-old Bryan Lockamy and his parents, Angie and Ernest. Several Vermont National Guard members took demo rides on new Arctic Cats provided by Buffalo Mountain Powersports. Marvin Whitcomb from In The Mix DJ services donated his appearance fee of $300 to Operation Veteran Off-Road. Late Winter 2018 | 19