OVATVC NEWSLETTER - Septermber 28th, 2004
ATTEND THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING - WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 20TH
*****Be there! Free "OVATVC" mugs to the first 50 members in attendance!!!*****
Our final meeting for the 2004 season takes place on Wednesday, October 20th at the "CARLETON PLACE 7 WEST MOTEL" on highway 7 in Carleton Place at 7:00 PM. This is the same location that all of our previous meetings have been held. The motel is under new ownership and has undergone extensive renovations.
The agenda for the evening is as follows:
Note:All the current (2004) Executive are willing to continue on in their positions for 2005. However, if there is anyone who wishes to run against the incumbents they are absolutely free to do so. We will hold a vote at the meeting to finalize the executive positions for 2005.
The Executive positions are as follows:
ATV SHOW OCTOBER 16th & 17th, LANDSDOWNE PARK
Come on down to the "TRAX Snowmobile, ATV & Trailer Show" to be held at Lansdowne Park on October 16th & 17th from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Admission if free.
The club has been given a booth and we will be there both days giving the OVATVC a higher profile.
If you are interested in helping to staff the booth for part of either day contact me at 839-1692 or mpastor@sympatico.ca.
ATV USE ON LANARK COUNTY ROADS-YOUR ACTIONS ARE REQUIRED
For approximately the last six months, Gord Moffat of LAKE & TRAIL and I have been working with Lanark County and the Municipalities within Lanark to try to come to an agreement whereby ATV's could legally be operated on designated roads within the County in alignment with Provincial Bill 11. Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of Gord and me, those efforts ground to a halt last week when the representatives of the County and Municipalities in attendance at the meeting stated that they were going to recommend to their councils that no bylaw be passed at this time to allow legalized ATV use within Lanark. The main reasons for this was the anticipated additional costs for road maintenance, signage, policing, etc. as well as the increased liability to Lanark and the Municipalities if an ATV was to be involved in any sort of accident while using the roads.
Trust me when I say both Gord and I used every possible angle in justifying ATV use on the roads. In the end we hit a brick wall.
It is now up to the businesses and residents of Lanark with an interest in ATV'ing to make your voice's heard. You can do this by contacting your elected councillor and letting them know that you want them to support the creation of a bylaw to allow legalized ATV use on county and municipal roads within Lanark.
I will be happy to continue to coordinate activities but unless the residents of Lanark make your desires heard then you will not be able to legally use your ATV's on County and Municipal roads within Lanark.
2004 OVATVC CAMP TRILLIUM CHARITY RUN SUMMARY
The club held its annual charity run in support of Camp Trillium on Saturday August 21. The turnout was a bit disappointing as we had only 27 riders this year vs over 40 last year. The weatherman had been predicting a wet day, maybe that kept some of the less hardy riders away. It turned out to be a beautiful sunny day which was enjoyed by all who participated in the 120 km run.
The day started a little bit late but everybody was on their way by about 10:00 AM, and all but one rider had returned by 4:30. "Murphys Law" held true again - this time it was Dan who broke down. Last we heard Dave was still driving around in the pickup trying to find him...
The day finished with a barbeque and prizes for the participants. There were so many door prizes donated by the sponsors that every rider left with at least two or three !
The total raised was around $3000, pretty close to last year. A special prize was awarded to Chuck Dupuis for raising the most money - $610 in donations, and he also arranged a $500 donation from his annual fishing derby. Excellent work Chuck !
All in all a great day of ATV'ing made even better knowing we were supporting a good cause. Many thanks to the prize donors, North Frontenac Township for waiving the trail fee for our guests, Lorraine Murphy for helping out during the day, the organization committee, and especially Patsy Bradley for her hard work as the event chairperson.
Fall Overnight Run a Hit!
We held our Fall Overnight Run this past weekend - September 24th, 25th and 26th. Based on the comments of
all involved it was a big success!
As with all such runs, this one was open to all club members.
On this trip we all trailered our bikes up to the Lake St. Peter area which is located approximately three hours
from Ottawa, about half an hour North of Bancroft.
Thirteen club members and their bikes participated in the weekend's rides. In addition, the adventurous spouse
of one of our riders was initiated into the joys of ATV'ing by riding along. Also, two other spouses came along and experienced the extensive shopping pleasures of Bancroft.
Most of us stayed at Algonquin Lodge in the village of Lake St. Peter while the rest stayed around the corner at
nearby Del-Mar Cottages.
Several of the riders got up to the Lodge early Friday afternoon and put in a quick 30 km run before relaxing
over a few beverages with the rest of us back at the lodge. That was followed by supper and further stimulating conversation.
On Saturday we had our main run. The run took us on an 120 km loop from Lake St. Peter, North to the village of
Madawaska, West to Whitney and then back down to Lake St. Peter. The trails varied from rough and rocky to
smooth and sandy and most everything in between. And, keeping the tradition alive, yours truly had to once
again be winched out of a mudhole! However, no one got any pictures this time so I'll deny everything!
Saturday's run was once again followed up by much legal social interaction and hot showers for everyone.
On Sunday morning we were taken for a beautiful run by a fine local gentleman and his wife. Bill knows the
trails like the back of his hand. He took the seven bikes who joined him on a 2 ½ hour tour up to a cliff
overlooking Mink Lake. The view was spectacular. The fact that the leaves had already turned to their fall
colours in the area made the view even better. Since several of us had cameras we will be posting pictures on
the site as soon as I get them.
We got back from the Sunday ride just before noon as several of us wanted to be back home before supper. We'd
like to sincerely thank Bill for taking us out on the ride and extending an offer to do likewise on our next
trip up to the area.
In summary, we all had a great time. Plenty of riding, great trails and excellent company. We're already
thinking about where to go for our club's overnight runs next year!
FREE ATV Magazine Offer
Recently a new Ontario based ATV magazine has hit the stands. It is called ATV WORLD MAGAZINE. I was
contacted by the publishers of the magazine. They offered to provide a free subscription to any OVATVC club
member who requested it. I have received the first two issues and reviewed them for content before I made their
offer know. I wanted to ensure the magazine was actually an independent entity and not a shill for a hidden
trail organization. I am now satisfied of the independent nature of the magazine. Note that the EOTA and our
club are identified in the second issue as active Ontario based ATV organizations.
If you are interested in getting a free subscription to ATV WORLD, please send in your name and address to
mblakoe@bellnet.ca or
atvworldmagazine@bellnet.ca and you will be signed up right away. Please let them know you are a member of the OVATVC and that I (Michael) forwarded this offer to you.
It has been my experience with other "free" magazine offers that, after a period of time (usually six months to one year), you are given the choice of starting to pay for your subscription to the magazine or ceasing to get the mag. It is entirely your choice at that point.
Please be clear that no one has been provided with the names, addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, etc. of any club member. It is entirely up to you whether or not you follow up on this offer.
Finally...
If anyone has any questions, comments, suggestions or are willing to help out in any way with the running of the club, please contact me.
Have fun on the trails,
MichaelRemember – have fun and be safe !
See you at the October meeting !
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