Youth drug programs benefit most from PEACE 100 rally
Start your engines! February 10 marks the beginning of the 16th annual PEACE 100 Snowmobile Rally in Nipawin.

By Jennifer Wilson
Journal Staff
Wednesday February 08, 2006

Nipawin Journal — Youth drug programs benefit most from PEACE 100 rally
By Jennifer Wilson
Journal Staff
Start your engines! February 10 marks the beginning of the 16th annual PEACE 100 Snowmobile Rally in Nipawin.
This two day event will raise money for the Saskatchewan Elks Foundation, which will then support youth drug awareness and education programs in the province. Every year the Elks donate $10,000 to train RCMP officers in the DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program, which gives kids the skills they need to avoid drugs and violence.
In Nipawin, Grades 5 and 6 students take a 17-week course through school, where RCMP talk to them about drug education and how to say “no.”
Started in Nipawin in 1991, the rally is sponsored
annually by Saskatchewan Elks, the Royal Purple and RCMP. That first rally saw 173 registered riders and raised $25,000. There’s been a decline in participants, said organizer Eugene Rawlyk, because there are so many other rallies each year.
However, there were 80 riders last year who raised more than $20,000. And this year, he said, there have been calls from riders in Alberta wanting to come out, as there is little or no snow there.
The weekend begins with registration, fees are $10, Friday night from 7-11 p.m. at the Elks Hall. Stop in for Casino Night - everyone that comes will get $2,000 in play money to purchase various merchandise. On Saturday, there will be registration 8-10 a.m. at the Evergreen Centre, with the official start of the Rally at 10.
Snowmobilers have a chance to win cash prizes,
sponsored by the Elks and Diamond North Credit Union.
Saturday night, you can enjoy cocktails from 5:30-6:30 p.m., followed by a banquet and awards presentation. There will also be a casino night.
The snowmobile rally is one of three Elks’ fundraisers a year. The group organizes a walk-a-thon to raise money for their SPARC program to detect deafness in children and the Charity Appeal, where a van is raffled off to support seniors’ homes.
While the rally weekend looks to be promising, with a fresh snowfall this past week, it will also be a bittersweet one. Rawlyk said the Nipawin Elks have given notice, “with regret” that next year’s rally will be the final one.
“We hate to see it leave Nipawin,” he said, but added that it’s getting to be too much for the group’s members.
He said the Elks felt they’ve done all they could do, and that they need more young members to continue on with the rally. He said the money they raise for these awareness
programs are important for the community.
“If we save one kid from taking drugs, it’s worth it. What else can I say?”

Apr 27 2006; Whitecourt Alberta Alta AB Canada snowmobile news story; Trailblazers end another year.

Despite a lacklustre snowmobiling year due to an extremely mild winter with very little snowfall, the Trailblazers say that all things considered, it was a success.Mark Edwards Reporter;

Despite a lacklustre snowmobiling year due to an extremely mild winter with very little snowfall, the Trailblazers say that all things considered, it was a success. Following the last regular meeting of the year on April 19, the club held a reception to celebrate and reflect on the past season.

“Even though we didn’t ride much this year, we had a good year,” says Trailblazers club president Ken Linford. Even though the club’s Poker Rally was cancelled due to lack of snow, the club hosted the nation-wide Way Out Women ride - a fundraiser for breast cancer research. The club also sold 167 memberships and trail passes - short of last year’s 204 memberships, but a great achievement for a year with no snow, says club vice-president Dan Guenette.

The club also held an avalanche preparedness course, which garnered 71 participants - the club’s biggest event, according to Linford. But even though they couldn’t ride, members were hard at work this year clearing and maintaining the trails and cabins around town.

Get this Alberta Canada snowmobile story here...