The 2009 reunion was
success! The JD Sled Riders put together an awesome display of
snowmobiles, clothing, helmets, dealer signs, sales literature,
documents, and accessories inside the Union Hall in Horicon, WI.
The hall was a great location, with space inside & outside.
There was food available the whole time both Thursday night and all day
Friday. It really can't be stated enough how much effort the JD
Sled Riders of Horicon put into this.
The event began Thursday afternoon, as people started pulling into
town. When I got there around 2PM, all the sleds and clothing
were already set up inside, and they were just adding the finishing
touches. More and more people trickled into the hall through the
evening. By the end of the night, a big group of people had
gathered to chat, share stories, and enjoy some delicious bratwurst
& beverages.
(click on the photos to
enlarge)
Friday was the day of the official event. Another 30 or so sleds
gathered outside the hall for the show, and people from the Horicon
area and Deere plant were visiting through the day. A projection
screen displayed photographs from Deere engineer/mechanic/racer Ed
Kruel's photo collection, and Ed was even there to narrate. All
snowmobiles were entered and judged for the awards, which were given
out at about 1pm. The winners are listed below.
A Survivor: Steve Grebel
of Bever Dam, WI, 1982 Trailfire (0 miles)
B '72 to ''78 Trail Original:
Dave Pufahl of Horicon, WI, 1976 Liquifire
C '72 to '78 Trail Restored: Howie
Bednarek of Fox Lake, WI, 1974 JDX6 Custom
D '79 to '84 Trail Original:
Joe Wanie of Horicon, WI, 1983 Trailfire LX
E '79 to '84 Trail Restored:
Kevin Kurtz of Horicon, WI, 1980 Liquifire
F Best Racer: Keith Bylin of
Adams, ND, 1976 Liquidator (Raced by Keith)
G Best of Show: Best
of Show: Dan Switlick, Edgar, WI, 1980 Sportfire
Best of Show honorable mention (it was a tie): Steve Grebel's '82
Trailfire which had already won Best Survivor.
Best Racer Winner: Keith Bylin's Liquidator:
This sled was raced by Keith, and is original, except the hood had to
be re-assembled after being broken into 3 pieces.
Kevin Kurtz's winning
race-prepped Liqufire
Track Dyno: This was definitely a highlight of the show. These
track dynos were used by the factory and dealers to tune
snowmobiles. It used an 18" track that drove hydraulics, to
determine horsepower to the track. The owner, Dan Netzer of
Juneau, WI demonstrated it several times during the day. The
parts you see attached to the side are nozzles to spray lubrication on
the suspension. The box contains gauges and a hydraulic
resistance control.
Steve Grebel's never-run Trailfire, winner of the
Survivor class.
This raced Liquidator had been sponsored by the local union (the same
one that provided the hall for our use)
Some of Joe Wanie's beautiful Liquifires:
The outdoor display:
Discussions have begun for an event next year, and information will be
here when it is available!
See the previous information page
