ASHLAND NEWS
by Susan Feeney-Hopkins
The Portage Lake Fitness Path will be selling personalized bricks to be placed along the town’s fitness path near the Town Office.
Buy a brick and personalize your message in memory of a loved one or a special event. The bricks will be placed along the path and will become a permanent part of the fitness path.
Proceeds will be used toward the fitness path expenses and upkeep and a possible future extension of the path. Bricks are available in two sizes: a 4-inch by 8-inch brick costs $35, while an 8-inch by 8-inch brick is $50; with your personal message.
To place your order, call or visit the Portage Lake Town Office or email www.townofportage.treasurer@gmail.com for more information.
ITS-85 reroute official
Members of the Portage Lakers Snowmobile Club have a lot to celebrate and be proud of. After the club lost its groomer through the ice last year, they were heavy hearted and unsure of what the future might hold. But as is typical of this group, they banded together, came up with a plan and got motivated!
Within days of the accident, the club held its first of many fundraisers, and by May had signed a purchase and sales agreement for a new PistenBully TrailBully groomer. In December, the new rig was delivered and has been in use grooming the trails ever since.
This fuel efficient groomer (4.5 gallons per hour versus the 7 gallons per hour of the old machine) has a side-by-side cab allowing the groomer operator to take a companion along making those long sub-zero nights more enjoyable. With the machine, the club received a lot of interest from potential new groomer operators. All of the Portage Lakers Snowmobile Club groomer operators must complete a training tutorial and pass a 60-question test. Upon passing the exam, the operator is given a certificate of completion and can then join the ranks as an official groomer operator.
The club also recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to commemorate the re-routing of the ITS-85 snowmobile trail. For safety reasons, it was decided the trail would be re-routed after the groomer fell through the ice while grooming the portion of the trail that crossed the north end of Portage Lake. The club had been interested in re-routing the trail for many years, but due to wood cutting activities in the area it was never possible.
After the groomer incident, the timing ended up working out, and with the willing assistance and permission of the combined landowners — Irving Woodlands, Prentiss and Carlisle and the town of Portage Lake — the trail re-route was possible.
Foresters Matt Stedman (Irving Woodlands), Bart Plourde (Prentiss and Carlisle) and Laura Audibert (Portage Lake) assisted the club with trail plans and the project moved forward. From that time, club members and volunteers spent upwards of 1,000 hours cutting trail, building bridges and placing culverts. The new trail runs a bit south to avoid the lake and Fish River, then runs adjacent to the Hewes Brook Road, crossing the Hewes Brook Bridge meeting back up with the existing Eagle Lake Trail.
The undertaking was a huge expense and effort, but the club and volunteers pulled together and made it possible. The trail was ready for the 2013-14 season offering an awesome ride and very scenic views of Portage Lake. Your membership and financial contributions are appreciated! Please visit the club’s website, www.portagelakerssnowmobileclub.org to find methods to contribute, as well as membership applications. You can also email the club at portagelakers@roadrunner.com with any questions and stay up-to-date with club happenings by joining the club on Facebook at www.facebook.com/portage.lakers.
Ongoing events
The Ashland Area Senior Citizens meet the first and third Thursday at noon for a potluck luncheon at the LeBlanc Junkins VFW Post 9699 on the Portage Road with a meeting to follow. This active and growing club of senior citizens also takes trips to various restaurants throughout The County, hosts cookouts, enjoys guest speakers and entertainment such as musicians. For more information, contact Roberta Savary at 435-6422.
The Portage Lake Over 50’s Club lunch is held on the last Tuesday of every month at 11:30 a.m. at the Town Hall. All individuals 50 and over are invited to attend and can bring a potluck dish to share. For more information, contact Jean Clark at 435-8034 or Donna Martin at 435-7108.
The Red Hat Loonies of Portage Lake meet every third Thursday of every month at Dean’s Motor Lodge. Membership dues are $2. Come and have a great meal and a great time, too! For more information, contact Rachel Stevens at 435-6358.
Susan Feeney-Hopkins is the correspondent for Ashland, Portage Lake, Oxbow, Masardis, Garfield, Nashville Plantation and the surrounding areas. She can be reached at 227-7760 or Feenhop@aol.com.
