64 replies to this topic

[slushpup]

Wife talked me out of going on Saturday,By the looks of Parking and access road it was obvious Saturday was the warmer day.Great racing on Sunday.I should have guessed Shawns "boys" Where racing in the 300 class.As far as the Bitter cold and wind??Well it was a great excuse to pick up a new Iron Dog jacket from the Cat dealer,And the Burgers where great!

[rivercat]

slushpup, on 15 February 2012 - 09:39 PM, said:

Wife talked me out of going on Saturday,By the looks of Parking and access road it was obvious Saturday was the warmer day.Great racing on Sunday.I should have guessed Shawns "boys" Where racing in the 300 class.As far as the Bitter cold and wind??Well it was a great excuse to pick up a new Iron Dog jacket from the Cat dealer,And the Burgers where great!

Scott I am sorry i missed you,,, quite possibly my eyes were froze shut on Sunday,,, don't worry my MOUTH wasn't froze shut,,,,

wanted to share this piece that was written on the Banks Chevrolet New England Sled Fest

Terrific collaboration between farmers and snowmobilers

By John C. Porter / For the Monitor
February 16, 2012
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Last weekend a major snowmobile event occurred in Boscawen on a big meadow seen by all from the bridge spanning the Merrimack River by the Hannah Dustin Memorial. This came about because a farm offered the use of its land and a local snowmobile club worked hard to make the event occur in a nearly snowless winter. The farmland was owned by the Crete family of Highway View Farm. The hosts were the Town Line Trail Dusters.
The event was the Banks Chevrolet New England Sledfest. Who would have thought that there would be bare ground in mid-February in New Hampshire? It was no small feat that enough snow was made by snow guns and hauled in by the truckloads to make a raceway suitable for this caliber of event. People donated trucks and fuel, and snowmobile club members worked day and night with plows and groomers to form the humps, bumps and curves for a raceway. All this was done in the middle of a corn field, which in the summer grows corn for cattle feed.
Without farmers working the land, these scenic vistas would be brush-filled fields hiding the magnificent Merrimack River or clusters of houses or factories detracting from the natural landscape. A lot of open fields that people enjoy along the highways aren't just holding the world together but are producing forage crops that are keys to the productivity of dairy or livestock farms.
This farmland also provides "ecological services" by aiding in the purification of water, mitigating floods and droughts, detoxification and decomposition of wastes, cycling nutrients, etc.
As farmers struggle to maintain their farms through tight economic margins, high taxes and increased regulation, the public enjoys the fruit of their labors with open spaces available for recreation and hunting. It is often hard to capture an economic value for these services, but agri-tourism is loosely defined as tourist activities that relate to the agricultural industry and give an economic return.
The weekend snowmobile races brought folks to the Merrimack River Valley from across the United States and Canada. In addition to the racers, more than 1,200 spectators lined the raceway to enjoy the event. Pickup trucks loaded with snowmobile gear were seen crowded into parking lots at restaurants, vehicles were filling up at stations and people were running errands to stores to get food and supplies.
Those in attendance were snowmobile fans, teenagers and families looking for a good time. The people were courteous and orderly.
Snow machines of every size and shining colors of green, blue, red and yellow whirled around the track and leaped through the air among blowing flags and banners. Where were the reporters from the Concord Monitor to capture the excitement of this event on the sports pages cluttered with football reminiscing and baseball speculations? This was good, wholesome fun in our own backyard, generating dollars in a sluggish winter economy.
I'm not a snowmobile enthusiast, and would more likely be in the quiet woods on snowshoes, but I happen to live directly across the entry to the field used for the snowmobile races. I found the event to be well-organized and the participants courteous and respectful of private property.
These folks who worked so hard to put on a successful event for the region deserved more attention and recognition.
(John C. Porter lives in Boscawen.)

[Pantera99]

Dave Thanks for sharing that... And a nice Thank You too Mr. Porter for writing that article.
Not all of us recieve the "Monitor"

[MXZ800Girl]

Good job, rivercat! And kudos to Mr. Porter!

[Bilbo]

Very nice article