KELVINGTON — Members of the the Kelvington Trailblazers Snowmobile Club reported that despite the lack of snow, the annual Winter Spirit Snowmobile Derby held on Feb. 3 was a great success with the community getting behind the club in a show of support.
There were 41 individuals who registered and 32 actual riders that made the trip on 65 miles of trail around the Windy Lake area where there is more snow. Riders who braved the trail travelled from Regina, Southey, Hudson Bay, Melfort and the Kelvington local area.
Prize monies for the top three highest hands went to: Becky Fredsberg of Yorkton won the $1,000, Barry Schultz of Kelvington won the $500 and Chris Patenaude of Perigord won the $250.
Other winners were: Cole Nichol of Regina was the farthest away rider; James Hendren of Kelvington, 80 years-old plus, won the oldest rider award; Kyle Deters of Regina had the oldest sled, a 1982 John Deere; Charlotte Nichol, 14 months-old of Regina, was the youngest rider and Joe Butiuk of Wadena was the winner of $11,115 in the 50/50 raffle.
The day started out with a pancake breakfast and registration followed by the ride and a supper and social evening.
“The community support was huge, without them we would not have had such a successful derby,” said Bart Hartl, president. “There were over 300 people that attended the supper and with the support of local businesses we showcased not only how great our community is but what out club is all about.
It is not just about the derby, it is about our community and what we have to offer. We had groomed all our trails once but now with the lack of snow we have closed all trails,” he said.
