Rotarians make snow for the annual snowmobile derby
Rotary hosts Snowmobile Races
Monday, Jan. 5, 2015
During the 1970s the Troy Rotarians held an annual Southeast Michigan Snowmobile Derby at Boulan Park to raise funds for Easter Seals, Oakland County Crippled Children, and other community projects. Snowmobilers paid $15 to participate in the race. The public was charged $1 for general admission. When snow conditions were poor, the Rotarians borrowed snowmaking equipment from nearby ski areas like Pine Knob.
Between 1970 and 1978 Troy Rotary donated over $20,000 to the Easter Seals to help furnish an adult physical therapy room.
This particular fundraiser was discontinued when the course at Boulan Park was deemed too small and unsafe for larger and faster snowmobiles.
Welcome to 365 Stories. On December 12, 1955 Troy Township was incorporated as the City of Troy. A great deal has changed in our local community, the State of Michigan, our country and the world in the last sixty years. Technology, communication, environmental awareness, human rights, medicine, scientific discoveries, global political and economic policies, and even the furnishings and gadgets in our own homes have all changed. Our goal is to publish a different story each day in 2015 that highlights a person, discovery, or event that occurred locally, regionally, nationally, or even globally between 1955 and 2015 that helped shape our lives and our community. We will try to post stories on important anniversary dates, but we also realize that dates are less critical than content and context.
We invite you to read and comment on the stories. Your suggestions for topics are also welcome and can be posted on our Facebook page, www.troyhistoricvillage/facebook. You can also email stories or ideas to the 365 Story Editor at ed@thvmail.org. A story should be between 150- 250 words and include at least two references. Attach illustrations as jpegs at 300 dpi. Please respect copyrights when quoting material or attaching images. Also remember that 60 years is a lot of time to cover. We can’t possibly include all noteworthy events. But our collective memory and research will provide a good historic perspective and a wonderful way to actively commemorate this important anniversary year in Troy.
