Snowmobile Parade Features 128 Classic Sleds
BY ERICH T. DOERR
erich.doerr@stignacenews.com
The snowmobiling season in the Straits of Mackinac area began with a ceremonial kickoff Saturday morning. December 14, as an event record 128 classic sleds fromyesteryear made their way across the Mackinac Bridge In the ninth annual Snowmobile the Mighty Mac parade.
The parade, also known as the Antique Snowmobile Bridge Crossing, featured a colorful lineup of snowmobiles from multiple brands representing models made from the 1960sto the 1990s. The St. Ignace Events Committee and Naubinway’s Top of the Lake Snowmobile Museum organized the event, showcasing the area’s continued love of thehobby.
It went really well, “Visitors Bureau Events Director Quincy Ranville said. “It’s fun because this is a quirky U.P. event.”
The parade began alongside Mackinaw City’s Colonial Michilimackinac and concluded at the St. Ignace Welcome Center. The weather for this year’s crossing was ideal, with clear conditions and temperatures in the mid-20s and just a little wind. Despite a hectic start related to construction in Colonial Michilimackinac’s parkinglot, the traditional starting point for the event, the parade still went smoothly.
“The weather was perfect,” Museum Chair Charlie Vallier said, having entered 10 sleds in the event and ridden a rare 1965 Arctic Cat Kitten.
Vallier loved the turnout for this year’s parade, with several large, new groups taking part. Riders came from across Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Pennsylvania,Georgia, and Massachusetts to be in the event. Spectators gathered along the northbound lane of 1-75 to watch as the parade rolled by.
There were 135 snowmobiles registered for this year’s event, with 128 setting off for the procession. Eight broke down during the crossing, leading them to be loaded up onthe event’s “Trailer of Shame” and towed to the finish line by a Mackinac Bridge Authority SUV.
This year’s lineup included models from familiar names like Ski-Doo, Polaris, Yamaha, and Arctic Cat, plus past snowmobile manufacturers like John Deere, Viking, Mato-Ski, Massey Ferguson, Skiroule, Sno-Jet, Suzuki, Evinrude, AMF Ski-Daddler, Columbia, Rupp, Gilson, and Scatmobile. One 1970s-era Ski- Doo broke down just before the MBA toll plaza, but the owner got it running again to finish under its own power. All of the sleds had to be equipped with wheel kits for the event. There weremodels with gasoline and rotary engines, plus a unique diesel-powered snowmobile, the first in the event’s history, courtesy of Greg Snider of Ohio and his customized 1973 John Deere.
The participants were a colorful lot. Some rode along with passengers, either on their sleds or behind them in vintage sleighs, while others wore costumes, many of them holiday-themed.
Fritz Sprandel of Pennsylvania was the grand marshal of this year’s parade. In the 1970s, he was an adventurer who undertook many journeys, often on a bet,including once getting busted in Cuba and accused of being a spy while trying to paddle a canoe from New York to Calif9rnia. In 1978, he set a world record riding a Scorpion snowmobile across the country from Westport, Washington, to Eastport, Maine. This year he was one of the lead entrants in the parade, riding a Viking snowmobile he borrowed from Vallier.
Sprandel said he undertook his snowmobile trip to promote American-made products. He had a few run-ins with the law during his journey, but his sled performedwell. At the Mackinac Bridge, he was stopped and told he couldn’t ride across. He hopped on his sled and did it any.vay, figuring that when they didn’t chase him down, they must have somewhat wanted him to cross. He paid the toll when he crossed this time.
“I really enjoyed being here today around all these snowmobilers,” Sprandel said. “They’ve loved enjoying all the things I’ve been through.”
His Scorpion was preserved in a Guinness Book of World Records Museum at the Empire State Building but has gone missing since its closure in 1995. Hisrecord was listed in the book for years but was later removed to discourage people from attempting to beat it due to legality concerns. He is still thankful to all the snowmobile clubs that helped him along the way. Sprandel was gifted a shadowbox with a piece of bridge grating after speaking to the crowd.
Randy and Denise Brockman of Hastings, Minnesota, had two of the most unique snowmobiles in the parade, their matching Polaris Colt 175s. The two sleds wentbeyond a standard wheel kit, having been rebuilt into four-wheeled ATVs for year-round use. Mr. Brockman rode a 1973 Colt, while Mrs. Brockman had a 1972 model. This was their first time in the parade.
Mr. Brockman owns about 40 old snowmobiles and decided to use these two to create some rides geared toward summer fun for their cabin. He had a newsuspension welded on and used four-wheeler parts to create the setup. It worked so well the first summer that they had the second one built to match.
‘We were nervous to cross, but once we got going there were no problems,” Mrs. Brockman added.
Sean Guitar of Shelby Township was another first-time entrant, riding a 1972 Mato-Ski Capri. He loved the friendly atmosphere of the event, with many drivers on the bridge filming the parade or beeping their horns as they drove past.
Guitar has owned his Moto-Ski for four years, replicating his childhood snowmobile. He entered the parade on a whim after his brother, Dan Guitar, convinced him to do so just the night before.
They quickly rigged up a wheel kit on the sled and headed north. He said he already wants to do it again. The family entered four sleds in total.
Not everyone who started made it to the finish line, with Jim Schramski of Bad Axe being among those who ended up on the trailer after his 1979 Yamaha Exciter 440 froze up its track slide. He’s owned the sled since 1985 and brought it back out after it sat in a barn for 20 years for the parade.
Schramski said the parade was different and exciting, adding that he loved the variety of entrants and that it was great to ride this sled again.
Jared Cox, Vallier’s grandson, came all the way from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, to ride a 1969 Viking in the event. He said he only snowmobiles when he visits theUpper Peninsula. He has always wanted to do this parade and was impressed by it, noting it was a thrill to be on the bridge.
The parade was the events committee’s last activity of 2024. Ranville said the event provided a nice boost for St. Ignace as many participants stayed, ate, and shopped inthe area during their visit. She enjoys the camaraderie of the event.
The parade was followed by a lighthearted luncheon at Little Bear East Arena, including a B.C. Pizza buffet. The event concluded with an awards ceremony and Sprandel’spresentation.
Antique sleds will get another day in the sun with the 33rd annual Top of the Lake Snowmobile Show and Ride in Naubinway Friday and Saturday, February 14 and 15. This year’s featured sleds will be Polaris. The snowmobile parade is already scheduled to return for a tenth incarnation next December.
The parade’s award recipients this year were as follows:
Oldest Snowmobile: Mike Siler, 1965 Polaris Lil’ Andy.
Youngest Driver: Avery VandenBosch of DeWitt and Gavin Choik of Kinglsey, 12. Oldest Driver: Grand Marshal Fritz Sprandel of Pennsylvania, 80.
Most Innovative Wheel Kit: Mark Schultz, 1974 Northway.
Best Costume: Rich Hotz, who wore a mascot costume of a German man in lederhosen. Furthest Traveled: JaredCox, from Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
Broken Wheel Award: Trenton Boroff of Belding, who flipped his John Deere on the bridge after his wheel kit brokeapart. He was uninjured.