Participants in the Seeley Lake Driftriders Fun Run Saturday, March 13 gather at Stop 3 to spin their card and visit with family.
Troy Rasmussen rode his 1972 Polaris Colt on the 35-mile course. He won $200 for the oldest sled at this year's Fun Run.
The Seeley Lake Driftriders cooked up "Victory Burgers and Brats" for a donation barbecue at the end of the run at the West Side Trailhead.
Riders signed in at the trailer in the West Side Trailhead parking lot and spun for their first and last cards. They were also able to purchase raffle tickets for Henry rifles and the 50/50 drawing.
The Dunster family filling out their hands at Spot 4 with volunteers Jessica and Jeff Kimmel. While there had been a steady stream of riders coming through, at just before 12 p.m. more than 20 snowmobiles were stopped before heading out on the second loop around Lake Marshall.
Lilly Boyd of Condon spins for her card at Stop 3. This year instead of drawing cards, participants used a spinner. Riders spun for their first and last cards at the West Side Trailhead and filled out the rest of their hand at three stops along the course.
SEELEY LAKE – With sunshine and temperatures reaching the low 50s, snowmobilers and volunteers for the annual Seeley Lake Driftriders Fun Run could be seen in t-shirts along the route. Local families and riders visiting the area came out to the annual fundraising event Saturday, March 13.
Driftriders President Bill Swain explained that the Fun Run is supposed to be on President's Weekend in January along with the annual Snowball Banquet.
"First we didn't have snow and COVID was still scary," Swain said adding the Snowball was canceled this year.
They rescheduled the Fun Run for Feb. 14 but temperatures remained in the single digits.
"We want it to be a family event," Swain said. "You don't bring kids out when it is five degrees."
The event was rescheduled for March 13. Swain said finally in the last couple of weeks, the area finally got good snow.
"We didn't think we had good snow this year but we had as good of snow as anyone in the area so we were swamped," Swain said.
This was the latest in the year they have ever held the Fun Run. The event started and ended at the West Side Trailhead off Fawn Creek Road. This year the route was 35 miles. The first loop went around the Westside Bypass and Archibald Loop with four stops along the way. The second loop went up to Lake Marshall and around Mount Henry. Riders could do one or both loops.
Men's and women's high and low hands won cash prizes. For the women, Hattie S. won the low and Stacy B. took the high hand. Ken D. won for the men's high hand while Jeff C. and Kody N. tied for the men's low. Checks were mailed to the winners.
There were also raffles for Henry rifles and a 50/50 drawing.
Any children ages 13 and younger that participated received a pair of Klim goggles. If they drew three of a kind in their hand, they won a new helmet.
Swain was happy with the turnout.
"It [was] such a beautiful day and we had a lot of kids. We are trying to make it a family event and try and get everyone out here," Swain said. "That is why we have the give-aways for the kids so every kid gets something."
Since the Snowball was canceled, the club lost half of their fundraising for the year. To help recover some of this revenue that supports the trail grooming, the Driftriders will have some online auctions for Henry rifles monogrammed by Chris Burandt and Levi LaVallee. Follow the "Seeley Lake Driftriders" Facebook page for auction details as they become available.
The Driftriders maintain 365 miles of groomed snowmobile trails in the area. Swain said last year, they counted 9,000 snowmobiles that passed coming and going by their counter from the "green gate up" near the Lake Elsina warming hut.
"It is a tourism thing. If you drive through the parking lot and count all the out of state license plates there are some from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Washington state is a big one and Oregon. It is unbelievable."
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