Nordic club raises funds for trail work

 The Bad Larrys’ easy sound filled the Garden Bar on Friday night, while a lone couple danced the night away and cross-country ski enthusiasts filled the bar and tables.

Paper bowls lined with the remains of pulled pork chili and cornbread, provided by Great Northern Foods, were scattered on the tables.

A donation of $10 was suggested for the festivities at the North Shore Nordic Club’s spring fundraiser.

The spring fundraiser usually brings in around $1,000 for the club.

“It helps us get ready for next year,” said Steve Rosso, who helps manage the Blacktail trail system.

Music and beer signaled the close of the season for nordic club members, but it also brought thoughts of building more trails for next season.

Last year the club raised $7,000 to expand Bigfork’s Community Nordic Center trails, adding about 4.5 miles to the trail system and building a bridge over Noisy Creek. This year they want to raise money to extend the Blacktail Nordic Trail system by five miles.

The club manages both trail systems. They groom the ski trails in the winter, and build and maintain trails in the fall.

Their annual budget is around $35,000 and the trails are free of charge to users. A Kick’n’Glide fall fundraiser in Lakeside usually brings in around $2,500 for the club and $8,000 of their budget is funded in donations. Fish, Wildlife and Parks and the Forest Service grants usually total $20,000 a year for the club.

In addition to the planned trail additions in Blacktail, the nordic club’s board president Dave Hadden said the club wants to put placards advertising the trails in area businesses this summer.

The placards could help bring summer tourists back in the winter. At least that’s the goal.

“It could bring a different economic boost for the village (Bigfork),” Hadden said.