Vintage Snowmobiles Return to North Webster Winterfest
NORTH WEBSTER — After taking a hiatus in 2017, the Indiana Vintage Snowmobile Association returned to North Webster’s 2018 Winterfest, Saturday, Feb.3, at the community center from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m..
“We’re trying to get it back on the road again, get it built back up,” said IVSA’s Jeff Corn, who, along with club members from Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Ohio, brought some choice specimens from his collection of over 100 vintage snowmobiles to display in the south parking lot of the center.
IVSA also held a chili cook-off, can raffle and 50-50 drawing in cafeteria. Proceeds from the cook-off went to the North Webster Food Pantry.
Since its inception a decade ago, IVSA, which has its roots in the Lakeland Snowmobile Club, the oldest such club in Indiana, has provided displays for events of all kinds throughout the region, from businesses’ customer appreciation days to festivals like Dixie Days in July.
Past events have featured swap meets, drags and radar races. Organizers hope the weather next year cooperates, so the 2019 Winterfest sees more riding.
Part of the attraction of vintage snowmobiles is the wide variety of machines, or “sleds,” created in years past, when it seemed, said Corn, “anybody with a machine shop could build them.”
First time visitors to IVSA shows are surprised to see sleds manufactured by tractor companies like John Deere; boat makers, like Evinrude and makers of campers and trailers like Starcraft.
Current IVSA president, Ed Jones, of Toledo, Ohio, remembered when there was a lot more snow most winters. “We were on sleds more than in cars,” he commented.
Jones has around 25 sleds in his collection, which he has accumulated since 2005, when, after a visit to a snowmobile show in Roger, Mich., he was “hooked.”
“My wife would say it was all downhill from there, ” he joked. In fact, Jenna Jones was selling raffle tickets in the cafeteria.
IVSA’s next event will be a display at Dixie Days later this year.
After that, you can bet these “arctic cats” will be praying for snow.