Posted 9/09/07-

Our annual "Kickoff Party" is scheduled for Saturday, September 22nd, from 1pm to 4pm. It will take place at Marcellus Park, in the Grove pavilion.

Footprints will be catering the event, but we ask that everyone bring a dish to pass as well, if possibe. Please let Sarah know if you can bring a dish. We will provide the soda, you will need to bring your own adult beverages.

Anyone interested in attending should contact Sarah DeCapio at 673-3425 to RSVP, so we know how much food to order. Please leve a message if she is not home.

This is always a fun event to get together with other club members in an outdoor setting, and discuss everything snowmobiling before the season starts. Bring the kids, bring the husband or wife, and come on out for some fresh air before Fall gets into full swing.

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Posted 2/22/07-

Both the raffle and the Poker Run were a huge success! see the March newsletter for details!

The March meeting is back on track for Wednesday, March 14th.

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Posted1/30/07-

* Hot Dog Roast- just announced, the club will hold a hot dog roast Saturday, February 3rd from noon until 5pm at Dave Crysler's Estate. Most people should have received calls about this on Monday or Tuesday, 1/29 or 1/30. If you are traveling by car, the address is 2898 Slate Hill Road in Marietta. If traveling by snowmobile, his house is located south of the main trail across Schuyler Road. Take the C5 trail to Schuyler Road, and look for the signs. Afterwards, for anyone interested we will have a group ride. For more information contact Dave at his house at 673-0818, or his cell at 430-4189. He can also be reached via email at tcrysler@marcellussnowmobileclub.com. It is sure to be a good time, get on your sleds and ride up!

* Club Social Gathering Saturday, 1/20/07- for anyone who wasn't there, we had a great time at Footprints for our Social Gathering. A special thanks goes out to Sarah Decapio for organizing it, and for showing up and following through during an extremely difficult personal situation in her life. Also, Kudos goes out to Dan Horst and his sidekicks "Not Quite Right" for providing the live music. In addition, many thanks to Footprints for putting on the spread and underwriting much of that cost. And lastly, a personal thanks to Tara Lanning for winning the litre of Goldschlaager that I donated and have been trying to part ways with for some time now. May it come back to haunt you numerous times over.

* Toad Hollow/Marcellus Poker Run- Final details for the poker run will be available at the next meeting, and in the upcoming February newsletter due on newsstands soon. Details so far are as follows: The cost of admission is $20.00, and the event begins at 10am on Saturday, February 17th. $20.00 gets you a card to get punched at one of the 8 stops: Amber Inn, Frank's Moon Dance, Hill-N-Dale, The Preble Hotel, The Kart Lounge, Denny's Mountain View, Tanner Valley, and Orchard Vali. The $20.00 also includes a fabulous dinner and live entertainment by the band "Fully Loaded" at Orchard Vali on Rte. 20. Additional hands are available for $10.00 to those who purchased a ticket; and if you are only interested in dinner and socializing admission at the door is $10.00.

Hands must be turned in at Orchard Vali no later than 6pm that evening. Dinner begins at 7pm, and entertainment begins at 8pm.

Marcellus will hold it's raffle that evening, drawing for the Grand prize of a snowmobile or a 4 wheeler or $4,000 in cash; as well as other cash prizes. The way that the tickets will be drawn so everyone has an equal shot at the grand prize has been discussed extensively, and will be explained to those in attendence before the drawing takes place. Tickets will be available up to and at the event that evening. Sell, sell, sell!

Toad Hollow also has a drawing for the winners of the Poker Run, as well as a 50-50 raffle that evening.

This is certainly one event you don't want to miss, the food last year was phenomenal, the prizes are outstanding, and everyone has a great time. This is one event that you certainly don't want to miss!

* February Meeting- The February Meeting will be held on Thursday, February 15th, and NOT Wednesday, February 14th as usual. This is because Footprints has a big night for Valentines Day, and can't accommodate our needs for space that night. Sorry for the inconvenience.

* Newsletter/Website information- Look for your February Newsletter to be out soon. I try to get them out the week before the meeting, but writing/printing/stapling/foldind/addressing/stamping and mailing an 8 page full color newsletter to 182 members  is a daunting task for me, perhaps more than I can chew. I mention this because I have had complaints that the website hasn't been kept updated, which is absolutely true! I just haven't had the time to get to all of that, in addition to helping out with trailwork. I don't have enough time in the day to stay on top of both, work 50-60  hours a week, and have a family life as well. So for that, I do apologize, as I do my best. Most of the work I do on the website and the newsletter happens between 7pm and 2am, and it really is a drag sometimes. Just bear with me. But whatever happens, my family and my job will ALWAYS take precedence over any volunteer work that I do.

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Posted 10/8/06-

* Trail Work- we are in DESPERATE need of peope to help out with trail work. We are all busy, but I am confident you can find a few hours on Sunday to help out.

* We will be meeting at Mike Lannings house on the corner of Route 20 and Maple road. If you can't find it, give him a call on his phone at 673-2468. If just a few more people show up, we will be golden. Honestly. it is rough when only a few are doing all of the work. So chip in, and not only will you have fun, you will have a sense of accomplishment.

* ANNUAL "KICK OFF" PARTY- Our annual Kick off party, say goodbye to summer party, hello fall party, or whatever you would like to call it was held on Saturday, September 23rd, at the pavillion at the Marcellus Park Annex. A good amount of members showed up, the food was good, the weather wasn't as bad as last year, ad a good time was had by all. A special thanks goes out to Sarah DeCapio for her hard work putting it together. See the pictures section for a few snapshots.

* Anyone who has any digital pictures, stories, lonks, or anything else to make the website more interesting please send them to me at webmaster@marcellussnowmobileclub.com. Any pictures of your sleds, your naked partners, ANYTHING would be appreciated.

* As mentioned earlier, as a member you are entitled to your own email address on marcellus snowmobile club's system. Just drop a note and ask.

* If you are a member, own a business, and have a website, send me the URL (website address) and I will include it on our links page.

* As stated at the last meeting, we are working on designing a logo and Knickname for the club. Some unmentioned people don't like "Rough Riders". If you can help out in any way with the logo design, or know someone who does that type of thing, it can't come soon enough.

* We will be having club rides this year, weather permitting. We tried last year, and about 25 of us made it out the day after hunting season, before the weather went to hell. We had a great time, and will be doing it again this year.

* Anyone who is not familiar with the  Toad Hollow snowmobile club would do well to acquaint themselves with that fine organization. They really have their act together, and are a great bunch as well! Their meetings are the first Wednesday of the month at Orchard Vali Golf Course, and it is really a fun time. I encourage all Marcellus snowmobilers to check out what they have to offer as well!

* As was mentioned at our last meeting, we donated $150 to the Easter Seals Foundation. Unlike many other organisations, most of the money makes it into the hands of the people who need it.

* Also at last months meeting, we decided to have a raffle again this year. Tentatively, first prize will be either a new sled or $4000 cash, second prize will be a John Deere lawn tractor, and various other cash prizes will be awarded for 3rd prize, 4th, etc. It was decided to lower the ticket price, $20.00 was talked about, to make them easier to sell and to be able to sell more. More information will be forth coming.

* We decided to have a booth again this year at the Weedsport Winter Wanderers annual Great Eastern Whiteout Antique Snowmobile Shoand Races. Anyone who went last year can attest to what a great event this is! Hopefully if there is snow we can get a group together to ride to the show.

* The Club needs to purchase/acquire a notebook computer. We will be discussing this at our next meeting. Anyone who can help out, that would be appreciated. We aren't looking for your old lump that isn't woring for you, we want a REAL system. If you can hook us up, you will be the member of the week!  

* Don't forget the discussion forum is up and functional, lets try using it. Just click on "discussion forum" on the navigator menu to the left, register your nickname, and start posting. the more people post here, the better it will become. I have also added, by request, a for-sale section to the forum. This is where all items being bought or sold should go. Check it out, and use it. Throw up your old snowmobile suit or helmet, trailer, or anything else you want to sell. It is also a great place to ask questions!

* Another usuful feature is the Events Calendar. This gives a month by month view of upcoming events, and is a quick way to see what is going on. If you have an event you want posted on the calendar, email The Webmaster.

* If you haven't checked out the live "snow cam" that can be accessed from the Home Page, you really need to do so. In my own geeky opinion, it is really cool! If you click on the picture of the "jumping snowmobile",on the Home Page, this link will take you to the LIVE snowcam. This snowcam is MUCH cooler than others that you've seen, because it shows you the weather in full motion, real time video. It also lets you control the camera view. Eventually I will have a snowman with a yardstick, but for now you will have to settle on the birdfeeder and the scarecrow. If it doesn't work for you and you get a red X, go Here and click on the "Download Now" button. This will install Java on your machine, which is necessary to view the web cam.

* Make sure you are telling your friends to join the club, and if you know someone who doesn't ride, try to get them involved. We have plenty of applications, so take a few to have on hand. You never know when the opportunity will arise.

* At our next meeting, we will discuss the position of "Activities Director". We really need someone who is willing to step up to the plate and head up an activities group. If you yhink that person is you, say so at the next meeting. Don't be shy. I never created a website before I started working on this one!

* As I sit here at 2 in the morning, updating this website, I am going to take the opportunity to vent. We have over a hundred members in our club, but only the same 10 or so do the actual work! This is YOUR CLUB. get involved. We desperately need more participation to make this club the GREAT club that it can be. This is not meant to be mean or demeaning, just the way it is. At the next meeting, ask one of the officers, "hey, what can I do?" Evertone has some special talent that they can contribute. <End of rave>.

* In closing, I just wanted to say what a great job our president, Tom McHale, has been doing. Believe it or not, it is a lot of work, more than you would think. I can't tell you how many times we have been out somewhere, his cell phone rings, and it is a club related job. In addition, applause is due for all of the directors and board, who put in a lot of time to keep this club running. THANKS!

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Posted 9/7/06-

*Trail Work- trail work has begun in earnest. We are meeting Thursday Nights at Mike Lannings shop at 6pm. His shop is at the corner of Route 20 and Maple road. If you can't find it, give him a call on his phone at 673-2468.

Seriously, we need people who can carry brush, work chain saws, dig with a shovel , and just plain old back power. The more people we can get into the woods now, the better our trails will be!

Eventually, as it is getting too dark at night, we will move our work to Sunday Mornings. This is a great time to get out and meet your fellow club members, do a little light work and get some exercise, and have a good time doing it. Afterwards, while riding in the winter its nice to know that "hey, I built this trail".

*The discussion Forum is up and functional, lets try using it. Just click on "discussion forum" on the navigator menu to the left, register your nickname, and start posting. the more people post here, the better it will become. I have also added, by request, a for-sale section to the forum. This is where all items being bought or sold should go.

*Another usuful feature is the events calender. This gives a month by month view of upcoming events. If you have an event you want posted here, email The Webmaster.

*Another cool feature is the live "snow cam" that can be accessed from the Home Page. If you click on the picture of the "jumping snowmobile", this link will take you to the LIVE snowcam. This snowcam is MUCH cooler than others that you've seen, because it shows you the weather in full motion, real time video. It also lets you control the camera view. Eventually I will have a snowman with a yardstick, but for now you will have to settle on the birdfeeder!

Since the whole thing is Java base, if you can't see it chances are your computer is old and you don't have Java installed on your computer. But check it out!

*Lastly, if anyone has any cool ideas for the website, any information, links, pictures, or whatnot, emauiil the to the Webmaster

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Posted 8/10/06-

* VOUCHERS- The club has finally received the  "Proof of Club Membership Form" vouchers for renewing your registration. These vouchers MUST be filled out and taken with you to the DMV in order to receive the reduced club registration fee of $45.00. Without this form, your registration fee will be $100.00.

These vouchers will be avaiable at our first meeting (more on that below). If you are desperate to register your snowmobile before that time, contact Tom Mchale (contact information is HERE) and arrangements will be made to get you the form.

As with any new policies or laws with the state it seems, there are more questions than answers regarding the new registration procedure. In addition to the clubs having forms,  NYSSA is supposed to have an online registration system in place on there website, but do not as of yet. Also, you are supposed to be able to select and join a club at the DMV while registering, but that procedure has not been implemented yet.

One voucher will be good for all snowmobiles registered to a family which has a club membership. There are spaces on the voucher for multiple registration numbers, as well as spaces for multiple names if the snowmobiles are registered in more than one family members name. Just remember though, that the family membership includes husband, wife, and any minorsunder 18 years old. So if junior is 18, and has his sled registered in his name, he will need a club membership for himself!

I have been told that it might be a good idea to make a copy of the voucher in case you need to register a new sled mid-year.

For more information, click HERE to view a FAQ answering questions about the NYSSA Voucher system. Click HERE to see a list of ways proposed by NYSSA to join a club. This information came from NYSSA and copied here.

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* FIRST MEETING- Please note that our first meeting will be held on the 3rd Wednesday in September, the 20th. All other monthly meetings will be on the 2nd Wednesday of the month as usual, except the first one due to scheduling conflicts.

Also take note that our meeting location has changed! Meetings will now be held at Footprints on the Lake Restaurant, 2437 Route 174, Marietta, New York 13110. Telephone (315) 636-8255, beginning at 7:00 p.m. Directions can be found HERE.

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* ANNUAL "KICK OFF" PARTY- Our annual Kick off party, say goodbye to summer party, hello fall party, or whatever you would like to call it will be held on Saturday, September 23rd, from 1pm to 4pm at the pavillion at the Marcellus Park Annex.

Hopefully, the weather will be a little more cooperative this year! Even so, those who attended last year had a great time. Food and non-alcoholic beverages will be provided, bring your own adult beverage. Also, members are asked to bring a dish to pass. More details will be available at our first meeting, or check back HERE often.

*See everyone at the first meeting September 20th, where I am sure there will be plenty of discussion about the 2-tier reservatiion system!

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Posted 5/10/06-

* The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (NYSDMV) has informed all snowmobilers about a fee increase. The total registration fee is increasing from the current $45 to $100 unless you are a club member. There is no deadline as long as you become a club member before you renew your registration!!!! You will receive a voucher from the club or if you join using the NYSSA Online System (Coming Soon) you can download the voucher and print it at home. Whichever method you use you will submit the voucher to NYSDMV and therefore pay only $45 for each sled owned. Clubs will soon have the vouchers for distribution. Most clubs charge $25/year. Please remember it is the clubs that build, maintain, sign, offer safety courses and establish our nearly 11,000 miles of trail. Without the clubs there are no trails and without members there are no clubs!!!!

* Even though summer is fast approaching, that doesn't mean that snowmobiling should be totally out of your mind! We need volunteers throughout the summer to help with trail work. Contact  Mike Lanning  or Tom McHale  for details on volunteering.  

* The Marcellus Snowmobile Club just purchased a new used groomer and drag from the Truxton Snowmobile Club. It is a Thiokol "Imp". Thanks to Tom McHale, Mike Lanning, Charlie Black, Dave Crysler, Steve Frank, and Andrew Reichel for taking time out of their Sunday afternoon to go look at this machine and decide if it was worth purchasing. Pictures of the Snowcat, blade, and drag can be viewed HERE.

* The NYSSA 2006 Forum and annual meeting was held April 7th-9th, at the Best Western Carriage House in Watertown, NY. Thanks to Simon Dean,  Sue Paul, and Tim Taylor for taking the time to attend the Forum and represent Marcellus.

* Nominations and elections for club executive board officers were held at our April meeting. Since everyone is doing a great job, nothing changed!

* A special thanks to RC Bobbett and all members who took part in our VERY SUCCESSFUL Raffle!

* A round of applause to Toad Hollow  for sharing their poker run with our raffle.

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Posted 4/25/06-

*We need to notify our members that the NYSDEC is planning on closing snowmobile trails within the Moose River Plains Wild Forest Recreation Area. Let’s start off by stating:

Keep these trails open!!! NYSDEC is proposing to close nearly half of the snowmobile trails within the Moose River Plains Wild Forest Recreation Area. Please contact the NYSDEC Office included in the announcement concerning this Unit Management Plan and express your concerns. The complete UMP can be found and downloaded from the NYSDEC website at: http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dlf/publands/ump/reg6/moose/index.html

Comments will be accepted until April 28, 2006 by email, phone, or mail to:

Keith Rivers, Senior Forester
NYSDEC
7327 State Route 812
Lowville, NY 13367

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