Antique & vintage snowmobile show is huge success

The snow held up and the rain held off just enough to make the second annual Rogers City Antique and Vintage Snowmobile Show a complete success. Seventy-eight displayers lined up to show off 154 antique and vintage sleds Saturday in front of the Water?s Edge. Snowmobile enthusiasts from near and far came out to enjoy two fun-filled days of sunshine and sleds. According to directors, Tina and Dan Derry, the show pulled visitors from as close as Grand Lake to as far as Ontario, Canada. One avid snowmobiler traveled all the way from North Ontario. He was full of determination to make it to Rogers City for the show and his determination paid off. ?He got stuck at the Canada border for five hours,? said Dan Derry. ?His 455-mile trip turned into a 14-hour ride to make it here, and his crew ended up taking best in show.?

The show not only pulled tourists to the area, but it also brought with it a lot of media attention. There was a crew from 9 & 10 News at the show, as well as two magazines, ?The Winning Edge,? which is published out of Farwell, and ?Michigan Snowmobiler,? out of East Jordan. The showcase of sleds on Saturday was not the only highlight of the show. On Friday, over 30 riders attended the eight-mile ride at the 208 Club. According to one rider, the trail was ?messy and muddy, but lots of fun.? In fact, because of the warm and wet weather, the original trail had to be re-routed.

?We had a five-mile trail planned, but the river opened up due to the thaw, and our five-mile trail turned into about an eight-mile run,? said Dan Derry. Paired up together, the old machines and warm weather gave way to many breakdowns along the trail, mostly due to overheating. ?We did have a lot of breakdowns, but that is expected,? said Tina Derry. ?When you take old snowmobiles like that, you have to also take a tow sled.? The Friday afternoon ride also showcased a bonfire and weenie roast for visiting riders. It gave the snowmobilers a chance to visit and enjoy the great outdoors that Rogers City has to offer. On Saturday, snowmobiles started lining up early, and by midmorning, there were just over 150 machines. ?The day was just perfect for viewing the machines,? said Tina Derry. ?Last year it was cold, but this time around we had blue skies and sunshine.? All riders that registered a machine also received a voting ballot. This year there were five trophies awarded. Local artist, Steve Witucki, added an authentic touch of artistry to the show with his etched glass trophies. He also created an etched mirror that was raffled off. It highlighted snowmobile enthusiast, Charlie Vallier, who is the coordinator of the Naubinway Show. As chance would have it, Vallier ended up winning the mirror in the raffle.

Taking the Best of Show trophy was the Boa-Ski Brotherhood, a group of seven riders from Michigan, Wisconsin and Ontario. They entered a total of nine sleds into the show. Best Original Vintage is given out for a vintage machine that has not been restored and dates back from 1969 to 1980. Winning this category was Robert Kesson with his 1972 Arctic Cat EXT. The antique snowmobiles were manufactured up to 1968. In the Best Original Antique category, John and Jan McGuirk, of Sidney, Ohio took top honors for their 1960 Autoboggan. They also had five other sleds entered in the show. Chuck Ulch of Harrison took home the trophy for Best Restored Antique snowmobile for his RD-8 Ski-Doo. The adults were not the only snowmobile enthusiasts who enjoyed the day. A Kiddy-Kat ride on Saturday allowed the kids to get out their machines and ride along a groomed trail behind the Water?

s Edge. Spectators also had the opportunity to be involved in this year?s keg toss. Marcia Williams of Gulliver won the women?s division, while Dominic Derry of Rogers City won the men?s. Derry donated his winnings back to the show. On Saturday night, the Water?s Edge opened up for a banquet and celebration. The band Kopy Kats performed into the night and lucky raffle winners collected prizes donated by local merchants. One important aspect of the Rogers City show is the groomed trail that riders were able to take advantage of. Volunteer, Rodney Altman, of the Presque Isle Snow Trails, groomed the trail this year.

?Unique to our show is the trail we build,? said Dan Derry. ?The snowmobilers all like to ride those sleds and so that trail is a big plus.? The show also had solid support from the city and other volunteers, as well as a strong financial backing from the Travelers and Visitors Bureau. ?The city hauled in snow, and allowed us use of the portable band shell and picnic tables,? said Dan Derry. ?We also had support from local businesses and the Chamber of Commerce.? Tina Derry said the show would not have been the same without the backing of Norm Arlt and Amy Meyer of the Water?s Edge. ?We owe a lot of appreciation to them,? said Tina Derry. ?They opened up their business specially for us and it played a large part in the show?s success.? Tourists from near and far experienced one part of what Rogers City has to offer, and due to the success of the Antique and Vintage Snowmobile Show, they will surely be back for more.