Eight inches of precip. put ‘snow’ in Snowfest

Howard County - The 46th Annual Snowfest kicked off Thursday, Jan. 26, with the Vokaty Special Early Bird Ride and the weekend of events and trail riding didn’t come to closure until the afternoon Family Trail Ride, Sunday, Jan. 29, when it left K-Town Tap in Kendallville.

Thursday included the start of the 50/50 Fun Ride for Spina Bifida and an evening Club Trail Ride.

Friday included the Ladies Trail Ride beginning at 10 a.m. and an evening Club Trail Ride. The Ladies Trail Ride took riders from Cresco to Lime Springs, Chester, Saratoga and Lourdes.  They rode on freshly groomed trails after an approximate 8-10” of new snow that fell earlier in the week.

“We were fortunate [to receive] the snow that we had,” said Jeff Zak, Driftrunners Club, President. “When you have snow, the riders will come.”

And they did. 

Riders from as far south as Missouri and as far west as Washington took part in the festivities. Super 8 and the Cresco Motel were full to the brim both Friday and Saturday night and riders went as far as Osage to find lodging. One aerial shot over the fairgrounds showed that 75 trailers were parked on the grounds.

Saturday events started with the traditional Boy Scout Breakfast with Troop 261 serving up pancakes, sausages, scrambled eggs and beverages to a hungry crowd at the Expo Center.

Ron Riehle was on hand for the breakfast with family and friends. Accompanying him were his daughters Avery, age three, and Kennedy, age eight.

When asked what she liked best about snowmobiling, Kennedy said, “I like how fast they go,” and after a bit of urging included, “I like getting to be with my dad, too.”

Saturday morning Mike Wilgenbusch said his group had been riding the night before.

“We put on 70 miles last night,” he smiled. “The trails are good. The groomers have been out and should hold out for the weekend.”

The Expo Center also housed the raffle and silent auction items and vendors. The Club received nearly 100 donations for the raffles and sales were “going really good.” Big ticket items included a grill and a big, big screen T.V.

Scott Fjelstul, independent dealer for AMSOIL, had a booth, sharing that he worked with retail outlets, as well as commercial and preferred customer accounts. He added a lot of people had stopped by his booth and several had bought product.

Waukon Power Sports also put up a booth and brought a few sleds along, as well. Chip Lamb and Jacob Zakostelecky, both in sales, had discounted sleds and clothing for those interested. They commented Waukon Power Sports is in its 37th year under the ownership of Patty Nordheim and Irv Fosaaen.

Snowmobile Iowa representative Alan McHose, Des Moines, was present Saturday and ready to ride. He was joined by Bruno Andreini and Paul Kuehl, of Des Moines. But the fun didn’t stop there, they were joined by Mary and Jim Muller, New Brighton, Minn.

“I am here just for the day,” said McHose. “I am part of Snowmobile Iowa, and our goal is to take part in rides beginning Jan. 14 at Ankeny and ending Feb. 18 at Tama. This is one of seven rides throughout Iowa, and our goal is to educate riders about the trails in Iowa and keep the dollars in Iowa.”

Saturday rides included the HoCA Cancer Awareness Family Ride, the Vintage Sled Ride and the Torchlight Parade. An additional ride for 10-year-old Shaina Hansmeier, who was hurt in a snowmobile accident in December, was also available.

“We stopped by Shaina’s house so she could see all of us,” said Kelly Moellers.

The Cresco Wildlife Club offered a meal of liver and onions, chicken soup, beef and barley soup, chili and assorted desserts. The supper was so popular the group had to put up extra tables just to accommodate everyone.

The Torchlight Parade’s route was changed after it was found that Vernon Pond did not support safe riding conditions. The route went west of town a few miles out and back. Torches were distributed outside of Cresco, and snowmobilers dropped off the torches before entering the Fairgrounds. An estimated 50 snowmobiles took part in the parade.

Saturday evening’s activities culminated with the Snowball Dance featuring Trouble Shooter. The raffle drawing took place at 10:30 pm.

 The weekend’s events concluded with a brunch and 50/50 Fun Ride card turn-in at K-Town Tap, Kendallville followed by an afternoon Family Trail Ride.

“It was a very successful weekend,” shared Zak. “I haven’t seen so many trailers parked in the fairgrounds and hotels since I’ve been active with the Club. I also heard a lot of good things from all the area businesses, and they all were very busy. There was a lot of praise from a lot of people with much of that coming from out-of-staters.”