THUNDER BAY – For the 15th straight year, riders in Northwestern Ontario will head south of the border in support of Easter Seals Ontario.
Rhonda Harrison, a senior development officers with the organizations, said more than 100 people are expected to take part in the 2018 Snowarama event, held on the trails surrounding Minnesota’s Grand Portage Lodge and Casino.
“Everyone looks forward to it,” Harrison said. “They make a big weekend out of it. It’s a lot of fun.”
Riders are invited to journey along either the short or long trail and along the way there will be a bonfire, prizes, a dinner and live entertainment featuring the band Tempted Fate.
Frank Vecchio, the marketing manager at the casino, said the event is always exciting for everyone involved, and of course it’s for a great cause.
“It’s all for the Easter Seals kids. It’s a great event. We had more than 120 riders last year and raised a lot of money,” Vecchio said. “We were the No. 1 Snowarama event in all of Ontario.
To help celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Thunder Bay event – it’s been taking place for 40 years across Ontario, including Atikokan – the casino is providing bonus prizes to participants. For every $100 dollar raised, the minimum to join the fun, riders will get a ballot to win one of 16 prizes, including a trip to Las Vegas.
Riders who choose the short course will make their way around trails on the Grand Portage reservation, while riders who choose the long course will venture about 100 kilometres onto the Gun Flint Trail and need a Minnesota trail permit, which costs $51 and are available at Ryden’s Border Store.
Over the course of 15 years the event has raised more than $400,000.
To partipate and register, visit www.snowarama.org.
