In 1982, two men, Stan Helmer and Rick Molitor were proud snowmobile owners. The type of sleds they had is unknown. That's besides the point. They wanted to join a snowmobile club so they could ride the trails. So they decided to head down to the "Broken Oar". To their disappointment, the club was not taking on any new members. Perplexed, the two men moved on to the "Port Barrington" club. Once again, they were turned down. They decided to go to Riverbend for a drink and discuss any further options they might have.
As they sat around the bar and talked, they came to the conclusion that a new club needed to be formed. Susie was the bartender at the time, and she happened to overhear their conversation.
"Why not start a club here, she stated. Stan and Rick turned to each other and said "Why not".
The discussion continued for hours trying to figure out what needed to be done to start their own snowmobile club.
Stan had been befriended by George Bates, the owner of the Chapel Hill Golf Course, among other things. George took a liking to Stan when he used to drive past him every morning and on cold winter days digging holes and trying to stay warm by standing near the muffler of the tractor. On one occasion, George, who had his own limousine, made his driver stop and pick up donuts and hot coffee to bring to Stan. The morning that limo stopped and the driver got out with his goodies, Stan thought to himself, "What the heck is this guy doing". From that time forward, they became good friends.
Stan had spoke to Mr. Bates about possibly forming a snowmobile club and having home base be Riverbend. George asked, "Why"? "I have a lot of friends and their families that are snowmobile owners. The two closest clubs in the area are full. In order for us to ride the trails, we need to have the stickers and permission. The only way you get these things is to be a member of a club, so Rick and I decided to form our own." George told Stan he would give him $500 USD to get started.
Stan and Rick wanted to mark some trails that lead to Riverbend, as well as going through the streets of Cary. At that time, we could sled in town. Stan spoke to the fire and police departments to get permission to use some of the village property. As the trails were formed, theyran into a snag. In order to link all the trails together, between Cary and Crystal Lake, they had to have the use of one more corn field. A man by the name of Don Forbes was the owner of this farm. He was denying ANY club the use of his corn field for snowmobile trails. This had gone on for about 15 years. When George Bates got wind of this, he picked up Stan and headed over to the Forbes' farm. The next thing you know, Stan and Rick had permission to use the field to complete linking up the trails. When the president of the Broken Oar club found out, he couldn't believe it. Their club had been trying for years to get that property. Now all the trails were connected.
The snowmobile club was underway. Stan was President, Rick was VP and Susie the bartender was Secretary.(and she didn't even own a snowmobile.) These three were the 1st original "Board" members of the new "Riverbend Benders" snowmobile club. Kenny Haber donated the 1st computer to help get the club started. THE PURPOSE OF THE CLUB WAS TO ENABLE PEOPLE TO ENJOY THE SPORT OF SNOWMOBILING WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY, AND HAVE USE OF THE TRAILS. Getting people together and having fun was Stan's main goal. The "Board" would meet twice a month. They would discuss the cost of membership, how to bring in new members and how the club could make money. Word got out and people where joining left and right. The Board, with the help of volunteers, would hold meat raffles to make money and get people together. They would organize events that were FAMILY orientated, such as the Hay Rides in the fall, the Christmas parties for the adults, as well as children, the Poker Run on sleds, local rides and trips to the Northwoods.
I'm not sure if the meetings were held the 1st and 3rd Thursday's of every month, as they are today, but at one time, there were so many people that attended that they took up BOTH sides of the restaurant. The members were having fun and the club was making money. There were times when Stan would ask how much money was in the treasury. If there was a good profit he would take a vote by asking the members who would like a free drink, everyone raised their hand.
Stan would also try to break up the "clicks" that had formed during meeting nights. He would walk around and introduce old members to new people so they would not feel left out..
The club was going as planned. After some time, Stan and Rick needed to appoint more volunteers to help out the board, such as treasurer, trail master, and so on. Mark Gomoll was appointed trail master, but I'm not exactly sure who became treasurer. In the fall, Mark would ask for club members to help mark the trails before the 1st snow. This became a ritual for years until all our trails disappeared.
Stan had met his goal. He had formed a club that from young to old, they could be a part of something wonderful and adventurous.
After 7 years, Stan appointed Mark Gomoll as the next president. Believe it or not, there was no voting involved. He trusted Mark to keep the meaning of the club alive. If we have forgotten what that meaning is, let me reiterate:
TO UNITE PEOPLE, OF ALL AGES AND WALKS OF LIFE, AND ENJOY WHAT MOTHER NATURE BRINGS US IN THE WINTER MONTHS. TO BRING TOGETHER FAMILY AND FRIENDS AS ONE GROUP TO HAVE FUN AND EXPERIENCE THE SPORT OF SNOWMOBILING AND RELATED SOCIAL ACTIVITIES THROUGH OUT THE YEAR.
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