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A little piece of history

Antique snowmobile event attract enthusiasts from three states

Michelle Balleck

Rena Olsen was just happy to have snow.

“It’s a little cold, but the sun is out,” she said Saturday. “At least it’s not raining.”

It did last year at the Western Ride-In antique and vintage snowmobile show, sell and swap, which Olsen organizes.



But this year, the Wyman Living History Ranch and Museum was blanketed with white.

The 15th annual event was held at the ranch and attracted snow-machine enthusiasts from Colorado, Wyoming and Utah.



This is the second consecutive year the event was held in Craig. Last year, the rain forced snowmobilers to the Centennial Mall parking lot.

Olsen said she was pleased she had plenty of snow for riders to tour trails and play a variety of snowmobile games.

Plus, Olsen included a chili cook-off in this year’s Western Ride-In.

The Craig Chamber of Commerce ambassadors sponsored the cook-off, which brought out eight cooks and their pots of red, green and white soups. Event attendees sampled the chili and voted for their favorites.

But attendance was not as high as Olsen had hoped. Last year, exhibitors brought 53 sleds to Craig. This year, the event drew 33.

But Olsen’s brother, Randy Decker, said he was happy with the event’s atmosphere.

He grew up riding many of the sleds on display at the event.

“It’s neat to see the nostalgic machines of the past,” Decker said.

He is amazed at the technological advances made since he began riding in the 1960s.

“In 40 years, look at what they’ve done,” he said.

And Olsen said fostering an appreciation of snowmobile history is what the event is all about.

Michelle Perry can be reached at 824-7031, ext. 209, or mperry@craigdailypress.com.


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