we need members
Anoka Winter Knights donate to fire departments
Government, News | Friday, March 11, 2011 8:00 am by Tammy Sakry | 1 Comment
by Tammy Sakry
Staff writer
Members of the Anoka Winter Knights Snowmobile Club made two special deliveries recently.
Anoka Winter Knights Arnie Wicht of Ramsey (left, front) and Bernie Grandy of Nowthen watch as St. Francis Fire Department Lt. Carl Johnson and Firefighter George Bichler accept a donation of $750 from Anoka Winter Knights President Mike Stewart Sr. March 7 during a St. Francis City Council meeting. Photo by Tammy Sakry
The club donated $750 to both the Ramsey and St. Francis fire departments.
St. Francis will be using the money to purchase a waterproof immersion suit used in ice/water rescues, said Fire Marshal Kim Swenson of the donation presented March 7.
The Ramsey Fire Department, which received its donation March 3, will be using the money to purchase an ice/water rescue suit and rescue rope for its fire station in Nowthen, said Chief Dean Kapler.
Although the snowmobile club is located in Anoka, the club gives money to area communities where club members live or with trails that members use, said Mike Stewart Sr., Anoka Winter Knights president.
“We want to keep the money in the areas where it could assist snowmobilers, if necessary,” he said.
The club earns money by joining five other clubs to organize the annual Rum River Outlaw Grass Drags in Princeton.
Each club splits the proceeds and the Anoka Knights picks a different city each year to give its proceeds, Stewart said.
With no trails of its own, the club likes to put the money back into the community and into cities that have trails its 23 club members use.
One of the reasons Ramsey and St. Francis were chosen this year is because last year the cities opened up trails that have previously been restricted, Stewart said.
“They have become more friendly to snowmobilers,” he said.
The club’s donations revolve around snowmobiling and safety, Stewart said.
It is also a way to bring attention to the club and the importance of joining a snowmobiling club, he said.
In addition to the group snowmobiling events and the camaraderie of fellow enthusiasts, joining a club helps raise the funds to maintain existing snowmobile trails and create new ones, Stewart said.
The Anoka Winter Knights club has been around for more than 20 years.
The Rum River Outlaw Grass Drags event will be Aug. 26-28 this year.
Tammy Sakry is
