Since Marienville and snowmobiles have been synonymous for more than 50 years, it was no surprise when dozens of enthusiasts turned up at Ray’s Hot Spot on Saturday.
However, this gathering was different as vintage snowmobiles were on display.
“I am just into vintage sleds,” Marienville Snowmobile Show organizer Mark Swarzlander said. “It is kind of like a car cruise in the snow.”
“They are sleds that are 20 years and older. Most of the ones you see here today are from the 1970s and 1980s,” Swarzlander said.
“We are fortunate this year that we have had good weather. It is cold with a little bit of snow. Last year we had rain.”
But, in reality, weather is not an issue.
“We have options,” he said. “We can either show them or grass drag them. In the summertime, we can drag race them on grass.”
There was one group that traveled from the Buffalo, New York, area.
“A lot of the shows around our area were canceled this year, so it was only a couple of hours drive,” said Rich Smith, of the Snowgoers Vintage Chapter of Cherry Creek, New York. “It is nice to get outside and do something.”
For others, it was a family affair.
“I have been doing this since I started walking,” said Jim Longstreth Jr., who is from the Meadville area. “I started on a little Kitty Kat that I got for Christmas in 1989.
“We have a couple of dozens sleds. Some of them we keep in our garage that we ride, and there are others that are on the list to get fixed. Some are for parts.”
He said it has become increasingly difficult to find opportunities to ride.
“We don’t get the snow that we used to, and it requires a lot of time and money,” Longstreth said. “It is hard to find some place to ride unless you have a state trail system like they have in Marienville.”
His father, Jim Longstreth Sr., had an odd item to display: an Arctic Cat riding mower.
“My father found the little riding mower down near Punxsutawney. It was painted to look like an Arctic Cat, so he bought it,” Longstreth said.
“I think it was just a promotion, but we mostly run Arctic Cats so it fit in. It is a nice hobby to do with the family.”
His wife, Ashley, said she “married into the family and into the snowmobiles. I am here with my husband, father-in-law and brother-in-law. The kids are at home, so this is a weekend away.”
Ryan Longstreth, also of the Meadville area, brought three rare 1982 Snow Rabbits that were manufactured by Chrysler.
“It was their first snow bike. I read it was designed for the military,” he said. “It never really took off.”
The runners, he said, were placed in line instead of abreast; so “it is hard to stay on it.”
Swarzlander, a member of the Vintage Snowmobile Club of America, said the event he organizes in Marienville is “just for fun. As long as it remains that way, “we will continue to have shows.”