We love it when snowmobiling – and, most specifically, snowmobile clubs and local club supporters – get good publicity from their local mainstream media. We like it even better when the reporter who writes up the article seems to “get it.”
Such is the case with a story published recently in the Park Rapids Enterprise of Park Rapids, Minnesota. Park Rapids happens to the source of a recent tour story in Snow Goer magazine, and the hometown of recent Snow Goer managing editor Nick Longworth, so it’s an area we know well. And, we must say, the Park Rapids paper did a heck of a good job covering issues related to snowmobiling that extend far beyond that area.
In the article, local Chamber of Commerce President Butch De La Hunt talks about the role snowmobiling plays in his larger community.
“Snowmobiling is very important to our tourism industry here in Park Rapids,” De La Hunt told the Enterprise. “It’s part of our heritage. We’ve got a snowmobile race. We’ve got beautiful trails. We have a significant amount of tax-forfeited land that a lot of our trail systems reside in.”
Hunt should know – aside from being the local Chamber hotshot, he’s also an avid snowmobiler and snowmobile club member himself.
The article also quotes local snowmobile club officials, talks about some of the challenges faced with land access for snowmobile trails both in and out of town and even talks about local dealerships that are an important part of the whole structure. It’s a worthwhile read, even if you never get close to the northern Minnesota town.
