The ride may have been cancelled, but the show must go on.
Wanamingo Vintage Ride and Show returned Saturday at the fire hall for its 15th year, minus the ride. Although some portions of the event were cancelled due to warm weather, it still drew a crowd with games, gallons of chili and an impressive lineup of vintage snowmobiles.
The show spanned decades of snowmobile history, with 101 registered. Awards were announced in the afternoon including Best of Show and People’s Choice.
Rob Schnichels brought three of his snowmobiles to the show, but was ultimately roped into serving as a judge.
“Even at a small show like this, there’s some exceptional stuff here,” he said.
For Schnichels, vintage snowmobiles bring back memories of riding the trails in his youth. Adulthood has given him the chance to own some of the makes and models he once only dreamed of, flipping through the pages of snowmobile magazines as a child.
Schnichels said he’d done some cosmetic and light mechanical restorations on his sleds, but he was astounded at the lengths some other restorers at the show had gone to.
“Some of these guys restored this stuff back when they had to watch newspapers, they had to call, they had to investigate, they had to get in contact with people. The internet shrunk that search down, so it’s become a little easier. But also, the really hard to find parts are gathered up and hoarded by people. Although it should be easier, in some respects it’s not easier anymore,” he said.
The show featured snowmobilers of all ages, including 11-year-old Emerson and 9-year-old Griffin Burke. Emerson’s 1977 Polaris RXL wound up being a finalist for Best of Show.
“It’s just find to ride,” said Emerson.
The brothers spent the day tossing bean bags and checking out snowmobiles. They’ve gotten to ride a bit this summer, although the lack of snow has been disappointing.
Organizers kept an eye on the weather in the weeks leading up to the event. While they had hoped to include a 12-mile vintage ride, the warm weather and lack of snow made that impossible. At one point, they considered a side-by-side ride, but chose to keep the focus on snowmobiles.
“We’ve been talking for the last month, if we should change anything, not change anything, how do we entice people to come here with no snow. Ultimately, we didn’t change a lot,” said firefighter Carl Majerus. “We try to put on a good show every year and people keep coming back.”
Majerus said they’ve aimed to keep the event consistent over the years, although it’s always been at the mercy of the weather.
“We’ve had a couple years we haven’t had any snow, but not 60 degrees out. This is pretty crazy,” he said.
Majerus said snowier years bring more vehicles to the show — last year, they had around 300. Still, he spotted around 20 snowmobiles he’d never seen in the show this year.
According to Majerus, the show originated as a fundraiser for Fourth of July fireworks, and the firefighters relief association still donates a portion of the annual proceeds to that cause.
Per tradition, the event included a chili cook-off, pitting local first responders against each other in the kitchen. Wanamingo Fire and Rescue was joined by the Kenyon Volunteer Fire Department, Zumbrota Fire Department and Cannon Falls Fire and Rescue.
Chili flowed freely throughout the day thanks to Randi Schaefer. The wife of a firefighter, Schaefer volunteers for the event every year. She made 10 roasters of chili this year from a recipe she credited to firefighter Jason Bauer, the same recipe they’ve used since the beginning. Her favorite part of the event is the conversations she gets to have in the serving line.
Firefighter Greg Erickson, who was serving at the bar, said he enjoys seeing the support from the community. A 39-year volunteer, he’s been with the department long before the event began.
“I won’t give it up ‘til I can’t do it,” said Erickson.
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