Text from the famous John Sandberg,
I truly can’t think of a more perfect way to celebrate fifty years
of Arctic Cat passion than what I just experience during the past few days in
Thief River Falls.
Arctic Cat, TRF and Mother Nature threw down the welcome mat, and
people came from all over the U.S. and Canada, from Sweden and Norway. There
were individuals who came for the day, families who came for the week and
everything in-between.
Collectors brought sleds… hundreds of them. And memorabilia,
minibikes, WetBikes, bicycles, ATVs, Bug-O-Vacs, pictures, Scorpions, signs,
posters and Arcticwear spanning fifty years.
There were red sleds, white sleds, purple sleds and of course LOTS
of black ones. There were race sleds, trail sleds, prototypes and more. Some of
the most historic machines in Arctic Cat history were on display.
There were factory tours, ATV tours of town, a Wildcat unveiling
and the greasy goodness of fair food to season the days, while bands, beer and
banter flowed during the evenings.
An on-site company store offered all kinds of 50th stuff for those
who wanted to buy, while a swap meet offered the chance for anyone to sell.
Yet while indeed it was the machines that delivered the “Wows” and
triggered memories for the thousands on-hand, the Arctic Cat 50th Anniversary
wasn’t about sleds or gear.
It was about people.
It was about Arctic Cat people coming to TRF to reunite with each
other. For some, it was a chance to see old friends, perhaps from a Cat’s Pride
Tour, a long-ago race circuit or an antique or vintage club. For others it was
a chance to meet a famous racer who’d captured their imagination sometime over
the years.
For the people who work at Arctic Cat, it was a phenomenal
opportunity to meet the outstanding customers who make their jobs possible, and
see first-hand exactly how deep the passion runs.
There wasn’t one visitor who I talked with that expressed anything
other than joy about the entire event. Likewise, every single Arctic Cat
employee I talked with was humbled by the outpouring of people and passion that
characterized the weekend.
Truly, everyone I saw had a smile on their face. From those smiling faces flowed stories and conversations that
spanned fifty years. I heard countless tales that further reinforced my belief
that Arctic Cat people are the most dedicated in the world.
Some examples:
-A guy from Canada brought a brake lever that had fallen off of
Jim Dimmerman’s Sno Pro race sled when he crashed into the wall – 30 years ago!
– and finally got it autographed.
-Upon seeing the reproduction Boss Cat I, Roger Janssen told a
crowd the story of its very first run, literally scorching the grass strip he
ran it down.
-Collector Henry Briscoe, whose battled cancer for many years,
refused to let his health deter his intention to attend. He couldn’t bring his
sleds, but he wouldn’t miss this weekend.
-Glen Hetherington, upon seeing his picture in the book “50 Years
of the Cat,” literally broke into tears.
-People – probably hundreds of them – unabashedly wiping the tears
from their face as they watched Roger Skime tell the story of fall of Arctic
Enterprise in the outstanding video, “50 Years of Arctic Cat” that played
throughout the weekend in the Huck Olson auditorium.
Everyone I talked with had a story to share. I only wish the event
could have lasted another week so that I could have had enough conversations to
feel satisfied. Indeed, I drove out of TRF on Sunday feeling gutted that the
weekend had to end, and that I had to go to my “other” home.
