Piscataquis River radar runs return to Dover-Foxcroft

By Angela Arno

DOVER-FOXCROFT – “What if we brought back the radar runs that used to be held down on the river?” While it’s unclear exactly which one of them thought of it first, Darren Colbry of Colbry Enterprises, Ben Cabot of Cabot Legal Services, and Garrett and Lindsay Sands of 207 Powersports worked tirelessly to bring back an event that last happened on the Piscataquis River in 2002.

The race did not come without difficult work and a few challenges. Cabot worked with the engineer to define the track as well as handling all the event permitting. Lindsay and Garrett oversaw the event marketing, rules, and registration process. Colbry was the man on the track day and night making sure they had the length of clear track that they wanted on race day.  Lindsay noted that “Darren plowed after every storm and kept up with the track.”

Feb. 3 a large stormfront rolled in and it snowed for almost 24 hours, the snowfall ending only hours before the race was due to start on Feb. 5. While riders don’t typically complain about a storm delivering 12 inches of fresh powder, it did cause some heartburn for the race organizers.

“The day of the race was very hectic. We showed up to standing water in the return lane and the pathway to get over to the track. The guys from Dover True Value, Redi-Rock and some of our friends worked hard laying down pallets so we were able to access the track. Once we got that fixed everyone had a great day and nothing but positive feedback!” said Lindsay.

In a post on the Piscataquis Radar Runs Facebook page Lindsay says, “Final numbers from yesterday’s event – We had over 56 riders, 80 different sleds!” In an article in the Eastern Gazette, Lindsay said that the food truck from Mainely Pastures was present and enjoyed serving over 238 meal orders. She went on to estimate that there were easily over 300 spectators at the races. Based on the photos we would dare to guess many more than that!

The Dover-Foxcroft Fire Department was on scene and prepared to respond had there been a safety need.  Deputy Chief Rick Pembroke was impressed with the event staff, “The organizers did a very good job making sure safety was covered for the entire event. Safety crews from Dover Foxcroft Fire and Mayo EMS were in place all day long. Other than three or four snowmobiles stuck in the slush, the day was very safe and uneventful.”

Area businesses felt the positive economic impact from the spectators and racers. Business owner Brenda Schultz of the Mill Café commented “hats off to the people who brought this event to town. We need more of these kinds of events to support our businesses. They did an amazing job of coordinating everything as well as coming up with the concept and its promotion. From what I understand they did it in a very short amount of time. I hope to see more and will happily do what I can to help make it a success.”

Lindsay said the race organizers were very pleased with the results. “We never thought that we would have such success in our first year, the community really came together to make this happen.”

Giving back to the community was important to the organizers. Lindsay was happy to report that after payouts and expenses, The Dover-Foxcroft Fire Department and the Piscataquis Valley Snowmobile Club were each given a donation of $2,500.

Dan Rosebush, president of the Piscataquis Valley Snowmobile Club, expressed appreciation for the generous donation. “Darren, Garrett, Lindsay, Ben and all of the other volunteers who were a part of making this event happen did a heck of a job in very little time. They rolled up their sleeves, put in the hard work and their determination and focus really paid off for the community. The organizers invested so much in this event, and I was glad to see so many sleds in the area truly enjoying a beautiful day.  Unfortunately, I was out of town on work the day of the event, but I was able to tune in on Facebook and watch some of the live video streams. On behalf of the PVSC, we are all very grateful for the donation we received from the crew who put on this event. The donation will be going towards the club’s mission to maintain a top-notch trail system here in Piscataquis Valley.”

Additionally, Central Maine Power Company, Millworks LLC, 207 Powersports and We’ve Got You Covered Upholstery donated items Lindsay arranged into a two-prize raffle. The raffle raised $2,360 which the group has donated to the Penquis Youth Hockey Association.

A special thank you goes out to all the sponsors that helped bring the radar run back to the Piscataquis River.