March 2016 Newsletter
~ March 2016 ~
Your membership is valid through December 31, 2016.
Hello

A MARCH PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
Nancy is a hiker, biker, skier, and active CVOA volunteer!

Let's put this woeful winter behind us and march happily into spring ... a season of freshness that will bring us at CVOA Central new faces and new ideas. And hopefully some fresh snow for spring skiing!!
 
Like spring, our annual dinner meeting is coming a tad early this year. And, like spring, it will usher in a new season of bright new adventures for the year ahead.
 
Join us for both, beginning March 12 at our always-packed annual dinner, where we'll elect new officers and board members to lead us into the year ahead. We've got a great slate for you and, although the votes must still be cast, all our candidates are running unopposed so it doesn't take a seer to know who will win!!
 
We'll have a new president, "Belfast" John Morey who led our winter snowshoe trek to Baxter and has been spotted around the campfire at many a gathering; and a new vice president, Joe Loughran, an old hand at the range and on numerous club outings.
 
We'll have four new board members: Betsy Chapman and Mary Berger, who will also be in charge of overseeing and planning our 2016 and 2017 adventures, and Ray and Diane Stone, active range members and outdoor enthusiasts.
 
We'll have all sorts of new fun in the year ahead ... from a first ever golf tournament, to an awesome biking weekend in Montreal to a paddle, hike or drive overnighter at the scenic Grand Falls Hut. And that's just for starters!
 
The past year has been grand. I appreciate the support all of you have lent to CVOA and to me as its president over the past 12 months. And I look forward to an exciting year ahead with an all-star new cast.
 
It's our sixteenth year and we're still growing strong. Let the adventure continue!

~ from outgoing president Nancy Perry

[editor's note: Thank you, Nancy, from your officers, board, and countless members for your commitment to CVOA as president this past year, and for your contributions in many other positions, and in many other ways, during the past years.]
Calendar of Events
March 12 - Annual Dinner Meeting
March 18 - Whistler Post-Trip Dessert Party
March 20 - Sunset Snowshoe
May 19-21 - Montreal Bike Trip
June ?? - Board and Member Meeting
June 25 - Golf at Lac Megantic
July 16 - South Bristol Cove Day
August ?? - Board and Member Meeting
August 13-14 - Maine Huts Weekend
September 10 - Paddling on Saco River
October 8 - 10 - Homecoming Weekend
Future Events & Adventures
If you have made a dinner reservation,
Cindy will confirm it with you before the dinner.
Annual Meeting - Dinner - speaker Cary Kish
Guest Speaker Cary Kish
Saturday, March 12, Sugarloaf Inn
Social time 5:30 - 6pm
Dinner at 6
Reservation Deadline: 
Tuesday, March 8

If you haven't already made reservations, do so now! Space is limited.

This year, CVOA will have a dinner that everyone should enjoy - particularly those volunteers who typically work for hours on dinner preparations; we will have dinner at the Avery Room at the Sugarloaf Inn.
 
For $23 per person, members will enjoy a Hearty Italian Buffet, including salads, entrees, dessert, and coffee/tea. The fixed price of $23 includes the meal, taxes, and gratuities. A cash bar will be available for those who would like to have wine, beer, or cocktails. (Per state law, it is not allowed to bring your own beverages to the event.)
 
Social time from 5:30 - 6pm, dinner at 6:00, followed by the meeting and guest speaker.
 
Make your reservations now by replying to this email, or emailing Cindy Foster at cvoa.secretary@gmail.com. Space will be limited, and you must have a reservation to attend. You will pay for your meal at the door by cash (exact amount appreciated) or check (to: "Sugarloaf").
 
Following the dinner, we will have a short business meeting, which will include annual reports, elections of officers and board members, and volunteer recognitions. And t he winning Range Raffle Tickets will be drawn.
 
The meeting will be followed with a presentation by our guest speaker - many of you have read about Carey Kish, or seen news items on TV about his Appalachian Trail adventures. Here's more about Carey:
 
Two-Timing it on the Appalachian Trail with veteran hiker and author Carey Kish
 
The Appalachian Trail is the most famous long distance footpath in the world, and for hikers who make the grueling 2,189-mile trek from end-to-end, it is unquestionably the adventure of a lifetime. One AT thru-hike is enough for most, but not 56-year old Carey Kish of Mount Desert Island, who decided twice was better.
 
Join Carey as he describes in words and images his 189-day AT journey from Georgia to Maine, starting March 18 on Springer Mountain and ending October 4, 2015 on Katahdin. Learn about the amazing mountain scenery, the camaraderie of fellow hikers, fun trail towns and precious trail angels, scary wildlife encounters, and the highs and lows of putting one foot in front of the other for six months. Discover how much the trail has changed since Kish first hiked it 38 years ago in 1977 as an 18-year old kid fresh out of Bangor High School. 
 
Kish is author of the AMCs new Best Day Hikes Along the Maine Coast and editor of the AMCs Maine Mountain Guide, and signed copies will available for sale before and after the program. 
 
We hope you will join us at this fun and friend-filled evening.
 
~ John Morey, Vice President
CVOA Items for sale at the Annual Dinner Meeting:
Planning for Future Events and Adventures
Saturday, March 12, 3:30 pm
Avery Room, Sugarloaf Inn
 
Betsy Chapman has agreed to take a leadership role for our adventure committee.  The first discussion will be just before the annual meeting on Saturday, March 12th.  We will gather at 3:30 in the Avery Room in the Sugarloaf Inn to begin planning for future CVOA adventures. 

Please join us and invite your friends.
 
~ John Morey, outgoing Vice President and Adventure Coordinator
Whistler Post-Trip Dessert Party 
Friday, March 18, 7:00 - 8:30 pm
CVPL Begin Room
 
As you read this, we are still at Whistler having a blast! The skiing is expansive and varied, and we are having a great time with our largest-ever CVOA group of 78.
  • Are you interested in seeing photos from our trip?
  • Would you like to vote on trip possibilities for 2017?
  • Is your CVOA membership current for 2016?
Yes, yes, yes? Please join us!
  • Friday, March 18 from 7:00 to 8:30 pm
  • Carrabassett Valley Library Begin Room
  • Dessert will be provided by CVOA
  • BYOB
~ Cindy Foster, Whistler Trip Leader 

Sunset Snowshoe Hike and Supper
Sunday, March 20, Vernal Equinox
 
It turns out that a moonlit snowshoe hike would require us to stay up way past our normal bedtimes! So, we will snowshoe with late afternoon sun, and hope for a colorful sunset sky.
 
Nancy Makin is looking forward to sharing her Village on the Green home - 6002 Mashie Lane - and golf course location with other CVOA members. She has mapped out a 2.5 mile hike encompassing holes 1 - 9, which will take about an hour to complete. A shorter route will be available, as well.
 
On Sunday, March 20, meet at Nancy's at 5:00 pm, snow shoe from 5:30 to 6:30, and supper will begin by 7. Nancy will make soup or stew, and have bread from her favorite bakery. Plan to bring an appetizer, salad, side, or dessert, and as usual BYOB.
 
Please RSVP to Nancy at cvoa.adventures@gmail.com or 237-2818, and let her know what you would like to bring to the supper, so she can plan accordingly.
 
Snowshoe and eat, what a great combination for a Sunday evening! Join us for lots of fun!

~ Nancy Makin, Event Hostess
April Events
Oops! Nothing is scheduled...
  • Would you like to plan an event?  
  • Large or small, anything goes.
  • Day trips are popular. 
  • Drop an email to our adventure coordinator at cvoa.adventures@gmail.com.
Deadline for event planning is March 25th in time to get it in the April newsletter.
Montreal Bike Trip
May 19 - 20 - 21
 
We have 27 CVOA members signed up for this great bike trip. There are still rooms available at the Inn. If you'd like to know more, go to our website post, or contact us at cvoa.adventures@gmail.com.
 
~ Glenn and Peggy Bickford, Trip Leaders
Calling all Golfers!
June 25 in Lac Megantic

Just a reminder to check your calendars for June 25 and plan to sign up for the CVOA Lac Megantic Golf Outing. It's a beautiful golf course and you just need your golf clubs and your passport to get through Customs at the border.
 
More information as it gets closer.
 
~Elise Gebhardt & Sandy Osterrieder
Range News
Diane Stone becoming new CVOA Range Secretary
Diane and Ray Stone
John McCatherin stepping down
 
Neal Trask, chairman of the CVOA Range Committee, has announced that John McCatherin, long-time secretary of the Range, will be stepping down this spring and will be replaced by Diane Stone, an active range volunteer for a number of years now.
 
After 15 years as a CVOA board member, a decade as CVOA's general secretary and for the last dozen years part of the range leadership, McCatherin said it's time to make room for "some fresh blood in the organization."
 
Stone, a resident of New Gloucester, brings substantial skills and experience in both shotgun sports and archery.  "And she's a hell of a lot better shot than I am," McCatherin admitted.
 
He explained that he'll remain active with CVOA and will continue to serve on the Range Committee but after all those years "it's probably time to make room for some new ideas....and after last summer's major range construction project of a well, septic, toilet facilities and storage building, I need to catch up on my golf game." 
 
Both Diane and her husband Ray Stone are members of the CVOA board of directors and have already picked up some of the responsibilities formerly handled by the secretary, such as the annual Range Barbecue and other Homecoming Weekend activities.
 
McCatherin was a founder of CVOA, which was organized in his living room in 1999 by a group of area outdoors people concerned about access that had been denied to lands traditionally available for recreational use. The fledgling organization was an active participant in resolving that issue, and has grown into an organization of 800 members with activities, events, and range use year-round.
 
~ John McCatherin, Range Secretary
Raffle Tickets still for sale
Winning Tickets will be drawn at the Annual Dinner Meeting

It's not too late to purchase raffle tickets to support the Range. 

For more tickets, email Neal Trask at cvoa.range@gmail.com.
CVOA News
CVOA Merchandise for Sale at Annual Meeting
Limited Quantities on some items

Our merchandise will be available to purchase during the social time from 5:30 - 6pm. Now is a great time to pick up hats and aprons, hiking guides and cookbooks. There are limited quantities for some items, once they're gone ..... they're GONE!

Prices include sales tax; pay by check or cash.
  • Hiking Guides - $12.66
  • Cookbooks - $10.55
  • Men's Hats - $9.50
  • Women's Hats - $9.50
  • BBQ Aprons - $7.91
~ Linda Trueworthy
CVOA's Charitable giving to our community
  In 2015 CVOA donated funds to several organizations and projects.
  • $1000 to the Stratton Rec Department Summer Program
  • $1000 to the Carrabassett Region chapter of NEMBA
  • $165 - Narrow Gauge picnic tables - repair and replace
  • $300 to stock the fish pond at the Outdoor Center
    baby_fish.jpg
young-girls-camping.jpg
The Stratton Rec Department reported that they used $246 to ma ke it possible for some local youth to participate in overnight trips; they will use the balance next summer.
 
Peter Smith of the Carrabassett Region Chapter of NEMBA (New England  Mountain Bike Association) provided an extensive report on their successes in 2015. Click here to view CVNEMBA's complete 2015 report. 
 
Paul and Linda Trueworthy along with Glenn and Peg Bickford used the $165.00 and hours of their labor to repair and paint the Narrow Gauge picnic tables as well as building a new picnic table at Crommett's Overlook.

~ Gail Miller, Treasur er, and others
Past Events and Adventures
Bowling and Pizza Report
Our first event at the SugarBowl
 
The SugarBowl in Carrabassett Valley hosted the first CVOA Bowling event on Saturday evening, February 6. Although the Friday snow storm caused a few cancellations, those that attended had a lot of fun.  The top male bowler was
 Peter Wagner and top female bowler was Sandy Osterrieder.
 
We had a variety of pizzas and thank Kerry and Debbie Audet for bringing a new activity to the Sugarloaf area. For those who could not make it this time, CVOA is hoping to do another bowling event soon.
 
~ Elise Gebhardt & Sandy Osterrieder

Photo of the Month

Heading to Whistler, flying over the Canadian Rockies. 

Do you have a photo suitable for "Photo of the Month"? Are you a CVOA member? If so, send your photo to: Cindy Foster, Newsletter Editor -  cvoa.secretary@gmail.com.
Carrabassett Valley Outdoor Association
Valley Crossing #6
Carrabassett Valley, ME 04947
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