Celebrate Snowmobiling at New Gaylord Festival

Jan. 22, 2016

Festivals in northern Michigan celebrate everything from cherries and fish to music, cars and art — and now Gaylord is adding a popular winter sport to that list with their brand new Michigan Snowmobile Festival (Jan. 29–30), which aims to celebrate the popularity of these “motorized sleds” to a whole new level.

WINTER PARADISE

Why Gaylord? Because of all that snow, of course! The average U.S. city, according to Sperling’s, gets 25 inches of snow per year. Gaylord gets an average of 149 inches.

“Gaylord is located in the snowbelt of Michigan and we wanted to celebrate the fact that we are the premier destination for snowmobiling,” explained Kelly Combs, special events coordinator for both the Gaylord Area Chamber of Commerce and the Gaylord Area Convention and Tourism Bureau.

“It really is amazing; if you drive just 30 miles north or south of Gaylord, you will see significantly less snow.”

SNOWMOBILE FANDOM

There are many other winter festivals throughout northern Michigan, Combs added, but none that focuses solely on snowmobiling.

“It’s our hope that this event will continue to grow, and when people think snowmobiling, they will think of us,” she said. “And the sport is exciting. You know you’re going to have a good time; you’re outdoors with your friends and family and you’re free to go wherever the trails take you.” Combs said skiers, snowshoers, ice fishermen and other winter sports enthusiasts also visit Gaylord, but that snowmobiling is “a whole different category.”

“It’s like my daughter said — her favorite smell is the exhaust of a snowmobile,” Combs laughed.

FIRE UP YOUR ENGINES

Starting on Friday night of the festival weekend, antique and vintage snowmobiles will arrive in downtown Gaylord for viewing at the Pavilion on Court, where they will prepare for Saturday’s antique and vintage “sled parade,” followed by a private ride to Treetops Resort for participating sled owners.

Meanwhile, all festival attendees will find a food/beverage tent with barbeque from Louie Louie’s and live music. Saturday’s activities will also include a “fun run” beginning and ending at the Pavilion — but it’s not the kind of “run” you might expect.

“It’s actually on snowmobiles,” Combs explained.

Other events throughout the weekend will include ice skating, kids’ activities and a special visit from the Polaris trailer.

SADDLE UP FOR THE RODEO

The fest’s main event, Combs said, is the SnoMo Rodeo, which kicks off Saturday at noon.

“We’re most excited about this part of the festival,” she said. “It’s made up of old-fashioned rodeo games that you would normally perform with horses, but in this case, it will be on snowmobiles.”

Barrel races, a three-man relay, a rescue race (where you have to rescue/pick up a passenger) and a flag race will all be part of the fun; and the rodeo is what Combs herself is looking forward to most.

“It’s something new and different,” she said. After a slow start to the winter season this year, Gaylord finally has plenty snow, so they’re ready for the fest.

“Now we just need the people!” Combs said.

Spectator tickets for the Michigan Snowmobile Festival are $5 at the gate. Registering a sled for the SnoMo Rodeo costs $5 per event/$15 to participate in all events. The Fun Run is $20 pre-register online/$25 if you register in person. Get more information at snowmobilegaylord.com or (800) 345-8621.

FUN FACTS ABOUT SNOWMOBILING!

• The first “motor sleigh” was developed by Ray H. Muscott of Waters, Mich., in 1915.

• In 1954, the concept was expanded into what we now know as the snowmobile, although the original concept design was turned down by the company to which it was presented and subsequently sold to a lumberyard for just $465.

• The average age of a snowmobiler is 44.

• Snowmobilers are 76 percent male, 24 percent female.

• There are more than 225,000 miles of marked snowmobile trails across the U.S and Canada; 6,200 miles of these are located in Michigan. Wisconsin has the most snowmobile trails, with 25,000 miles’ worth.

• The top three leaders in snowmobile sales are the U.S., Canada and Russia.

• Early snowmobiles weighed 1,000 pounds and could only run at about 20 mph; today’s snowmobiles weigh about half that and many can top out at 150 mph.

• The majority of snowmobiles are built by four major companies: Polaris Industries and Arctic Cat, both headquartered in Minnesota; BRP in Quebec; and Yamaha Motors in California.

• There are currently 1.3 million registered snowmobiles in the U.S.

• Alaska’s “Iron Dog” is the longest snowmobile race in the world at longer than 2,000 miles.

*Stats from snowmobiling.org and snowgoer.com