30 | Snowmobile VERMONT Club News ESSEX COUNTY Saxon Hill Riders Inc. I have not been out on the trails yet and I need some therapy really bad. There is nothing like a day out on our VAST trails to clear the head. It has been a rough start for us. Our president and long-time friend, Dave Clough, passed away early December. Dave was not just our president, he and his son Brian took great pride in maintaining our Bombardier groomer. Dave will be greatly missed! Most of our trails are ready to go, but we do have a few problems. The trail to Richmond will be closed this year due to some landowner challenges. Our trail to Jeffersonville does have a short reroute that is being worked on. The trail towards Williston is good to go as is our trail to Colchester. Early Bird TMA sales went well at our points of sale agents: Frank’s MC Sales, Land Air, Roadside Marine, and Vermont Home and Marine. Thanks! The club is working on and looking forward to our annual landowners dinner gathering. Looking like a February date. Thank you all landowners! Dan Airoldi, Membership saxonhillriders.org Like us on Facebook CHITTENDEN COUNTY Brighton Snowmobile Club Our 2018/19 snowmobile season was off to a good start due to some early snow storms. We were ready to go on opening day with some very good riding. Shortly after that, Mother Nature threw us a curve for just a few days over the holidays with a little rain and a temporary shutdown. But soon we were back in business again, especially in the high country. We do have a great advantage with higher elevations, many logging roads and being almost as far north as you can go in the state. Our season started off in December with a well-attended and successful snowmobile safety course taught by our own club’s volunteer instructor, Reg Theroux. Sixteen students ranging in ages from 9 to 51 completed the class successfully and received their certificates. Reg and his wife devised a game based on Jeopardy that helped the participants learn and have fun at the same time. Many thanks to them for all their hard work with this project. In addition to the Welcome Center and The Hearth and Home Country Store, we would like to welcome Gervais Hardware in Island Pond as a new place to purchase our trail passes this year. They are located on the same main street as the other businesses in Island Pond. Some people have asked, “What is the difference between Brighton and Island Pond?” Island Pond is a village within the town of Brighton and the two names are therefore often used interchangeably. Our newly purchased PistenBully has joined our other two machines to groom the trails this winter. Remember that groomers always have the right of way, so please be courteous to our operators. They work some really long hours and often under difficult situations and weather. Our hats go off to these folks. We hope you get the opportunity to come up and ride on some of Brighton Snowmobile Club’s 120+ miles of wonderful groomed trails as well as the trails of surrounding clubs in Essex county. Please continue to do the “Snow Dance” right up through mid-April! Homer Selby, Club News Correspondent brightonsnowmobile.org Like us on Facebook Sixteen students passed the Brighton Snowombile Club’s safety course instructed by club volunteer Reggie Theroux. Lunenburg Polar Bears Snowmobile Club, Inc After a snowy November tease and good conditions during opening week, we struggled to sustain riding after consecutive rain events. Yet as I write this report, winter has returned. Trailers are heading north. Snow is piling up. Welcome to Polar Bear Country! The big news is that we were advised that updates are underway for the Lancaster NH Commerce Zone. The plan is to provide VAST snowmobilers with access to trailside services and activities along Route 3. Most importantly, we should be able to support area snowmobiling events which are critical to the winter economy of our neighbors. Our new shelters are protecting the fleet as expected. The team has been