b'VAST NewsA HALF-CENTURY OF SNOWMOBILING:CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF THE COUNTRY RIDERSBy Michael SwartzThis snowmobile season marks a milestone that comes around only once: the 50th anniversary of the Country Riders Snowmobile Club, which was celebrated this past Jan. 10 at the Legion in North Troy. The club was formed on Dec. 3, 1975, by splitting off from the Drift Dusters after Interstate 91 divided the trailsFern Lanoue, Marcel Poulin, Leo Patenaude and Luke Patenaude burn the mortgage of a groomer, paid off in record time as a result of the Lucky Seven Groomer Trust Fund share in that part of Orleans County. At itsproject.founding, Country Riders had about 40 members and maintained about 30 miles of trails. Today, with over 400 members, the club maintains over 100 miles of trails through the northern Vermont towns of Newport Center, Troy, North Troy, Westfield and Jay.Leadership and Early InnovationsThe clubs first president, Fern Lanoue, laid much of the foundation during his 25-plus-year tenure in various roles. At the clubs inception, groomers consisted of homemade custom drags pulled behind snowmobiles. Through Ferns efforts, the club purchased its first true groomer, a 1970 LELY, in 1978. Over the next 10 years, the club purchased two more big groomers; at one point, with a 10-member,Share #50 from the Lucky Seven Groomer Trust Fund share project.personally signed $11,000 note at a local bank.However, as the cost of these groomersLucky Seven merged into other clubs;Anecdotes from the Trailrose, the club realized it had to findin addition to the Country Riders,Fern was also responsible for getting new ways to raise money. Therefore,only the Hazen Notch and the NorthLuke Patenaude involved with the club members began selling shares toCountry Mountaineers clubs remainclub, and I spoke with Luke about his area businesses and citizens, resultingtoday. experience with the club for this article. in the sale of 240 shares at $250 each.Henrietta Lanoue, Ferns niece,He served as a groomer operator from Other area clubs were also involveddesigned the clubs logo, still in use to1977 to 1990, and as a club president in this project, including the Friendlythis day, and his stepson, Todd Willy,from 1987 to 1988. Luke groomed Snowflyers, the Westfield Trailcats,currently serves as the clubs president.trails when operators had to perform the Hazen Notch Snowmobile club,Both Fern and Ernest Choquette aremuch of the machine maintenance the Snowstormers, the Northcountryclub members who have received thethemselves, often while out on the trail, Mountaineers and the BartonVermont Snowmobiler of the Yearin the cold and dark. Before radios and Snowhawks, who collectively becameaward. Ernest spearheaded what arecellphones, a long walk was required known as the Lucky Seven. Thenow Trails 242 and 120 from Westfieldif you didnt have the resourcefulness Lucky Seven shares project wasto Jay to North Troy by walking all theto make repairs. Indeed, after one so successful that the club was ableold logging roads to map out the route.long walk, he even built a ramp on to pay off a new groomer in half theHe still attends monthly meetings tothe drag to accommodate mounting usual time. Over the years, some of thethis day. a snowmobile on the back to use as a 6 | Snowmobile Vermont'