WILLOW CREEK — The Willow Creek Sno-Drifters snowmobile club reached a milestone Thursday when Ray Theriault of Presque Isle signed on as the 100th member, capping a three-year membership surge that has more than doubled the club’s roster.
Theriault, a retired postal worker, said he joined after riding the club’s newly groomed connector trail to Houlton for the first time. “The trail system here is as good as anything in the county,” he said. “It’s worth the drive.”
The Sno-Drifters maintain 65 miles of groomed trails in the Willow Creek area, including a link to the Interconnecting Trail System that runs across northern Maine. Recent investments include a new groomer purchased with $15,000 from the club’s annual snowmobile raffle and a matching grant from the Maine Snowmobile Association.
Club president Leo Michaud credited the growth to improved trail signage and partnerships with local lodges that offer stay-and-ride packages. “We used to be a local club for local riders,” Michaud said. “Now we’re drawing people from Bangor, Portland, even out of state.”
The club plans to break ground on a warming hut at the trailhead on Old Houlton Road this spring.