ULTRA Snowmobile Rally is Saturday
Though all this snow has caused the United Lakes & Trail Riders Association Snowmobile Club to make some adjustments to their annual rally, it'll still be a perfect day for a vintage ride.
"With this snow, I'm afraid we won't be parking on the lake, but hopefully the city will have the fairgrounds plowed out," Wayne Schlauderaff said with a laugh.
"It'll be good riding, it just takes a little more effort."
The 10th annual ULTRA Vintage Rally and Swap Meet is scheduled for this Saturday, making it an official Polar Fest event for the first time, on Detroit Lake across from Zorbaz.
Registration for the event is from 8 to 11 a.m., followed by the trophies being given out at noon.
The competition includes 20 trophy classes and lots of raffle prizes as well.
The featured brand this year is Arctic Cat, and the grand prize is a restored 1971 Arctic Cat Puma Big Mouth.
Schlauderaff has restored this year's sled and last year's "with a joint effort, of course." The Egge family sanded and painted the hood, and Paul Hogenson of Audubon made the seat.
"It was a joint effort from quite a number of different parties," he said.
Some of the other prizes include a Henry Golden Boy .22 rifle, two ISOC VIP race tickets, Team Rapid Response Vintage Clutch, two Vikings tickets and cash prizes.
There is no fee to enter the vintage rally, but participants are asked to buy a $5 raffle ticket.
All of the money raised at the rally will go to help maintain the trails of Becker County, which the ULTRA Club helps groom.
"It's a fundraiser to help us support the groomers to keep the trails up. That's the big reason, to keep the trails, to keep people coming into the area during winter," Schlauderaff said.
After the trophies are given out, there will be a parade of snowmobiles, and thus begins the ride to the six bars participating in the event.
Every bar will be giving away prizes as well, and the Holiday Inn is giving away a 1970 Arctic Cat.
"You have a chance to win two of them," he said of the two restored sleds up for grabs.
At last year's rally, there were about 150 vintage sleds, and about 500 more riding sleds.
"It gets to be a big event," he said, adding that people come from all over the state to participate.
The swap meet portion of the rally has also grown, Schlauderaff added.
There will be hats, sweatshirts, coffee and donuts for sale on the lake.
"It's a good time. It's a family event."
