YORKTON – The Yorkton Sno-Riders held their first annual swap meet on Nov. 18 to coincide with the launch of Snowarama 2024.
The event was organized in conjunction with SaskAbilities' Snowarama to coincide with the launch of their annual charity fundraiser.
“A lot of snowmobilers don’t know where our clubhouse is in Yorkton and we were looking to find a way of getting people to know where our clubhouse is,” said Jason Popowich, Vice President of Yorkton Sno-Riders and Event Chair, in an interview with Yorkton This Week.
The swap meet provided an opportunity for snowmobilers to sell or trade used parts, clothing, and accessories. “Everybody has a snowmobile suit that doesn’t fit them anymore or a helmet or they maybe sold a sled and have some spare parts from 10 years ago from a sled they used to own,” Popowich explained.
“There’s a need for selling used parts and used clothing and used accessories,” said Popowich.
Vendors from as far as Regina, Plunket, and Manitoba participated in the event. Popowich expressed his gratitude for their support, saying, “it’s amazing how some of these vendors travelled so far to come to Yorkton and they’re willing to come back and certainly support us again next year.”
The swap meet was a success, with 20 spots set up and the building full of people by 9:30 AM, according to Popowich.
“There were some vendors here that sold out,” Popowich said, adding,“it was really good — they had lots of stuff — they jammed everything they could in their booths and it was a really good event for us — a good fundraiser for the club.”
The funds raised from the event will be used for various club activities and maintenance. “We just did some renovations on one of our warm-up shelters,” Popowich said, “we got a $30,000 work order on one of our groomers … we’re just getting that one finished and completed. We need some fundraisers like this to keep us operational throughout the whole season.”
The event also served as a reminder for snowmobilers to register their sleds and start fundraising for Snowarama. “It was a good way of getting snowmobilers thinking about snowmobiling and getting their membership — reminding them to get their sleds registered and of course get their Snowarama pledge forms so they can start fundraising for Snowarama too as well,” Popowich added.
In addition to the swap meet, the day featured a variety of other activities for attendees to enjoy.
A pancake breakfast was held at SaskAbilities, providing an opportunity for attendees to hear stories from individuals who have attended Camp Easter Seal and Summer Fun, the programs made possible by fundraisers like Snowarama.
To top off the day, there was also a burger lunch and beer gardens for attendees to enjoy. All these activities made the day not only a successful fundraiser for the club, but also a fun-filled day for the snowmobiling community.
“I think for everything — all things combined — I thought we had a pretty good day,” said Popowich.
The 47th annual Easter Seals Snowarama is set to take place on March 2, 2024. Participants can register online and raise pledges by visiting www.snowarama.ca. For more information, visit SaskAbilities.ca.
