By Chris Maloy 2-14-2010

OK Folks, time to start wearing the pajamas inside out and wishing for snow! What ever happened to our New England winter? We are still hopeful that Mother Nature will provide us with some riding weather. We may be without the fluffy white stuff now, but the club has continued to work on various projects. We are grateful to the Conservation Commission for the acquisition of the Evans Mountain property. We hope to continue to work with them to preserve the trails and beauty of this area.

The club bonfire was a huge success. With a great turnout, clear night, lots of great food and friendship, the event was enjoyed by all, even without the snow. Many Kudos again to our awesome hosts, Shawn and Caryn Barry!!

Our March meeting will be held at Nippo Lake Golf Club on the second Thursday of the month, March 11th. We are looking to get ideas and thoughts together for the summer work on the trails. If anyone has a suggestion or knows of areas that will need more extensive work, please join us at the meeting or e-mail the club with your ideas. We always appreciate a new point of view.

On a more somber note, a fellow snowmobile enthusiast and member of the Northwood Crank Pullers Club, Jim Ring, has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Jim is the owner of Jim’s Small Engine Repair in Northwood and DNA Motorsports.

He has been in the hospital and has been unable to work. A fundraising event was held on February 13th to help offset mounting medical bills. Our club has made a financial donation and several club members gave donations to the silent auction. The family will continue to need our support through this difficult time. If you would like to make a contribution to the family, you can send it to the Northwood Crank Pullers Snowmobile Club, and designate it for the Jim Ring Family Fund. It can be mailed to 85 Garland Rd, Nottingham, NH 03290. If you wish to make a donation in another way, you can contact the Northwood Club through their website. Our thoughts and prayers are with Jim and his family.

As always, check out our website for continuous updates on club news. You can e-mail Shawn Barry at the address listed or again check out the website with thoughts, questions or comments.

President: Shawn Barry ; 905-9093 or e-mail: shawn@straffordswampstompers.org

Trail info: Kerry Omand; 664-2558

Membership: Don Clifford: 942-5195 or e-mail: StraffordSwampStompers@yahoo.com