Kelly Snowshoes Snowmobile Club
WELCOME!
Welcome to the website for the Kelly Snowshoes Snowmobile Club based in Marathon County in the Weston/Hatley, Wisconsin area! We hope you find this a valuable resource for your snowmobiling information.
Kelly Snowshoes News (updated 9/10/2024):
October Club Meeting:
The next club meeting will be held on Tue, October 8 at Dale's Weston Lanes. Beverages start at 6:30 PM and the meeting at 7:00 PM. Please join us for the meeting and to enjoy some camaraderie!
Thank you to the Kelly Snowshoes Board!
Wow, it's that time of year! Our first meeting of the season is this week and the weather, although heading back to warmer temps for a bit, has started to show some signs of those nice fall temperatures. Just like I am enthusiastic for perfect 2024-25 winter temperatures, snow depths and conditions (wishing big), I believe my sled is equally tired of this long snowless environment. Please keep thinking "cold and snow" for December through April!
Our club is excited to welcome new members to the Kelly Snowshoes Board and we appreciate the efforts of those that served previously: Shawn Abel, Tim Dorpat, and Joan Kleman! Thank you!
I’d like to send out a special thank you to Joan Kleman! She grew up in downtown Bevent and has been a member of Kelly Snowshoes for 30 years! Not only has she been a member, but an active member, including a run of nearly 20 years as the club’s secretary. Per Dennis, our club President and Joan’s husband, “She is one of the kindest and most thoughtful people I know. She likes motorcycle and snowmobile rides with me!” Joan commented this spring that she is looking forward to being able to attend the upcoming meetings without having to take notes! Thank you, Joan, for all the hard work you’ve given this club over the years and welcome to the other side of the board member table!
Thank you to our new board members for accepting their positions! We are welcoming back Robb Shorey, VP, and Randy Rainville, Board Member. Both have held board member positions in prior years. We would also like to welcome Ben Laska, who will be filling the Secretary role. Ben is fairly new to the club so we are happy that he’s ready to jump right in!
Below you will find that I'm bringing back a newly updated little tribute to our board members, so I hope you enjoy this “Kelly Snowshoes” twist to Clement Clarke Moore’s “Twas the Night Before Christmas”. Based on Wikipedia, his poem was first published anonymously in the New York Sentinel in 1823. The poem below is also shared in hopes of conjuring up a bit of inspiration for the upcoming season. Please read it with the same rhythm as that poem you know so well. Enjoy...
~MPP~
'Twas Late Summer
‘Twas late summer, with the trails still leafy and green,
Not a sled was stirring since it’s still short of Halloween.
The snowmobiles were all tucked in the garages with care,
In hopes by December they could be flying midair.
The riders were all nestled snug in their beds,
While visions of snowflakes danced in their heads.
Trails that are white and clean is the goal,
So we can be ready to rock ’n’ roll in the snow.
When outside the Club Shed, there arose such a clatter,
Dennis sprang from his President’s chair to see what was the matter.
Away to the door he made a mad dash
To hear only thunder and see the next lightning flash.
Yup, it still summertime, and what do you know,
Kelly Snowshoes members aren’t all thinking snow.
They have Harleys to ride and fishing lures to fling.
They have picnics and campfires and golf clubs to swing.
But it won’t be long until trail-opening day,
So preparations for Kelly Snowshoes will soon be underway.
There’s grooming and brushing and signing to do,
To get our trails ready for the likes of you.
With registration renewals and memberships due,
With trail pass stickers and maintenance to pursue.
It all must be done in the blink of any eye,
To ensure we are ready for those sleds to fly.
Now Dennis! Now Randy, Now Melinda and Josh,
Lead us, lead us, lead up by-gosh.
On Robb. On Caleb, and of course, On Ben.
They truly are the best board members! Amen!
Shiny new signs were hung with care,
In hopes that new members will soon find our lair.
There should never be an El Niño as those weathermen say.
We want deep, sparkling snow for those tracks to play.
So now you must help influence Mother Nature,
By sending her messages much like a preacher.
She needs to know a winter wonderland is desired,
So frequent and blustery snow days will be required.
Cool temps are a must when we think of deep snow,
Since we want it always to be 20 degrees or below.
There should be no such thing on our trails as “snirt,”
Because pretty white snow should never be mixed with black dirt!
We want our talented young drivers to be happy and content,
To be driving the groomer in the spur of the moment.
We want rivers, streams and lakes that are solidly frozen,
To allow us to speed over the ones we have chosen.
As our summertime story comes to a close,
This old gal’s expectation is quite grandiose.
We want perfect Wisconsin snowmobile trails,
Where the only green is pine-tree and white prevails!
2024-2025 Trail Information
This area is set up in preparation for some snowy and cold-looking photographs, as well as reports of good trail conditions for the upcoming season! Please think "cold and snow" so we can fill up this "Trail Information" section!
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Trail work January 20, 2024!
It's amazing what a week of subzero temperatures can do for the problem areas of our trails. Our Little Eau Claire River crossings by Bevent Drive and west of intersection 419 are both solid ice now so Dennis is glad he waited a week to groom them. He took the Sur-Trac out today, which he said still does a great job (especially after Marv & Dave did some work on the pan this fall) and it lays down beautiful ribbon. Please see the trail photographs below as proof of the newly frozen areas and the beautiful ribbon! Dennis remembers when Kelly Snowshoes bought the Sur-Trac new in 2001 and he commented that it's just a reliable old groomer.
Think cold and snow to see if we can change Mother Nature's mind about the upcoming warm weather because, per Dennis, "3-4 inches or more of snow would do wonders" for the Kelly Snowshoes trails!!
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Trail work January 13-14, 2024!
We finally received some snow so there was grooming taking place over the weekend!! Dennis Kleman took the Tucker and double groomed the South Loop on Sat, Jan 13 as well as from Intersection 416 to 450. On 1/14/2023 Dennis groomed the trail from the Club Shed at Intersection 451 to Intersection 419. On Saturday Matt Hable took the Sur-Trac north from the Club Shed to the Mountain Bay and to Yellow Banks Golf Disc Park then left the groomer with Caleb & Lindsey Loveless. On Sunday (1/14) Caleb groomed to the end of Misquote Road then back on the west loop to the Club Shed.
On Jan 12, Dennis asked Sid King of the Hatley Snowmobile Club to go through "Josh's Swamp" from Intersection 406 to Misquote Rd. After a board vote, they assisted us by packing down the trail. In return they will log those hours for doing our trail work. Thank you to the Hatley Snowmobile Club!
Included below are some pictures/video from this weekend.
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Videos from Trail work Jan 13-14, 2024!
Above are a couple videos from the weekend grooming with the Tucker. One shows how slow going the first time out with the groomers can be (less than 5 mph).
Trail work November 2023
11/3/2023: Dennis Kleman was out on the trail system today putting up some signs. So it begins... The picture below is north of Budnik Road on the Litza portion of our trails.
Included here is a BIG shout out to our Trail Bosses: Randy Rainville, Josh Thompson, Jason Witzeling, Matt Hable, Caleb Loveless, Robb Shorey, Jim Miller, Chad Hintz, and Dennis Kleman. Thank you for all the work you put into our trails!!
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