11th Annual Lonny Custer Memorial Vintage Snowmobile Show
Greetings from the Rocky Mountain West! The 11th annual Lonny Custer Memorial Vintage Snowmobile Show and Swap meet was another successful event. Saturday, September 28th was a bit warmer than usual, but perfect for an indoor/outdoor show. This year I’m going to change up the follow up article and acknowledge as many people as possible. The sleds are the main focus, but the people make the event happen! Our future depends on the members, donors and sponsors and we would like to thank each and every individual and business involved.
Thank you Alan Fowles and Fowles Custom Built Cabinets, Rick and Larina Potter with Casper Monument and Rick’s Rocks, Patrick and Lisa Lawien with Casper Window and Door, David and Corie Karst with H&G OCTG Services LLC, Wyoming Automotive Refinish Supply, Hilltop Bank, Murdochs, Sutherlands, Smith RV, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Prazma Paint & Auto Body Inc., Don’s Mobile Carpet, RHI Powersports, Bloedorn Lumber, Wyatt Electric, Texas Roadhouse, Rocky Mountain Discount Sports, Denny’s Restaurant, The C’mon Inn, Clay and Joyce Busch, Cal Moser, Jim Engnath, Brad Morton, Amanda Custer, Evan Custer, Stacy Custer, Dick Sterns, Jim and Allan Coltrain, Courtney Gashler, Dan and Ellen Lewallen, David Stites, Peter Buell, and Bruce Kamminga.
The preparations have been ongoing for months and we’ve made a few significant changes that we believe were great choices! We now award trophies instead of plaques and we’ve registered as a distributor. Our new partner is a great company with excellent communication, great pricing and prompt service. We have also added a Snowcat class and we were treated to a couple very rare and beautiful examples owned and displayed by David Stites. The Frandee is very scarce and has the even more unique turning assist ski intact and fully functional! David’s second machine on display was a Tucker Sno Cat Kitten. It is an excellent example of one of the smallest Tucker Sno Cats produced. The Kitten will fit in a standard 8’ pickup bed.
The load ins began Friday afternoon with Dan and Ellen Lewallen’s super rare Chaparral racers. These are world class sleds with superb restorations! The red machines are real standouts! Dan and Ellen took home the People’s Choice trophy with one of the racers.
I was treated to a nice surprise when a promoter and new member showed up. Cal Moser from Milbank unloaded a couple of the most interesting and original survivor machines I’ve ever seen in person. His 1961 Polaris K-95-E turned out to be one of the most talked about entries and the general public was pretty enamored with the old Polaris sled and his 1965 Arctic Cat 2-wheeler built with both wheels driven. It has a pretty clever drive system. Next to arrive were Clay & Joyce Busch. Their entries never disappoint. With Clay coming from a history of automotive restoration, every detail counts and you can see it in their project machines! Their 66 Oly Ski-Boose and Ski-Doo Carry Boose are exceptional examples.
Saturday brought a cooler morning, and many very cool entries! David Stites was busy unloading his beautiful Frandee and Tucker Sno Kitten while Jim Engnath and Court Gashler were bringing their entries into the event venue. Jim’s 1964 Ski-Doo Chalet was a very nice example of a very early Ski-Doo and a 1st place winner, but his 2003 James Bond MXZ was the Best of Show trophy winner and crowd favorite. The James Bond sled is 1 of 52 brought into the US, only 1 per dealership.
Brad Morton brought the only Arctic Cat Kitchen Cutter I’m aware of around here, a pretty cool unit. Peter Buell brought his 1985 Honda 350X to enter in the Vintage 3-wheeler class. You better respect those machines as they can be a handful to operate! Court Gashler, an Arctic Cat enthusiast, veteran racer, and guru brought his 1979 AC Cross Country El Tigre and a very interesting 1977 Arctic Cat Z that has quite a history in Wyoming. Court has painstakingly restored both machines to show quality.
Jim Coltrain, a veteran collector and serious brand loyal Yamaha collector, brought several nice sleds. His Yamaha Bravo took a 1st place trophy in the New Vintage class and his Phazer II took the 2nd place position in the same class.
Dick Sterns, a Wyoming veteran antique and vintage snowmobile legend has been chasing and capturing machines for as long as I’ve known him. Dick didn’t disappoint while bringing a trailer full of sleds. His noteworthy sleds included the award winning and rare Bonham Spartan 660, a 1972 Viking Vanquisher sporting a 650 Red Baron Hirth power plant, a 1972 Polaris TX Limited, a 1977 Ski-Doo Blizzard, and a 1976 RV 250. Dick has a wide range of brands and types in his collection.
Of course, it’s always great to have the venue packed with sleds. But the friendships and camaraderie is really where it’s at, in my humble opinion. I’d like to consider all of us involved as one big family of enthusiasts with like interest and concerns for our hobby and each other.
Article and photos submitted by Scott Custer
