A new kind of “Northern Lights” has come to Aroostook County. But unlike the rare sky show, this one will be on display every night this winter.
Spud Speedway’s Northern Lights opened on Jan. 4 in Caribou, with a brightly lit 70-foot tunnel and 10 snowmen, near one of Aroostook’s many snowmobile trails.
Jim Gamage and Troy Haney, the duo behind The County’s successful SnowBowl festival, created the spectacle to entice people to come north and take advantage of Aroostook’s winter recreation opportunities. Partly inspired by Boothbay Harbor’s Gardens Aglow, Northern Lights is likely Maine’s only such attraction that’s accessible by people riding snowmobiles, Gamage said.
“We haven’t found anything like it in Maine, and I have yet to find anything like it across the country, where right off the snowmobile ITS trail you can take a sled and drive through tunnels like this,” he said. “We have, in my opinion, the best trail system in the state, which is what brought me and my family here from the midcoast, and the goal is to highlight that.”
Snowmobiling brings in about $6 million a year to Maine’s economy, and Aroostook’s 2,300 miles of trails typically draw hundreds of sledders in a season. Those sledders stay in hotels, eat at restaurants and buy gas, which boosts the local economy, Gamage said.
This year’s display is part of a multiyear project. The ultimate goal is to create a path through the racetrack property where people can enjoy snowshoeing, skiing, snowmobiling or even “sleigh” rides with a trailer pulled by a trail groomer, all winding through the Northern Lights, he said.
The plan formed when Haney saw a small tunnel at a Canadian casino where snowmobiles could drive through, Gamage said. Both had visited Gardens Aglow, and thought something similar could be done in Caribou.
They fashioned a 70-foot tunnel using three quonset hut frames and strung hundreds of lights on it, he said. Then came the Avenue of Snowmen, with 10 snowmen made from tires, painted white, decorated and lit. They range from car-tire size to big ones made with skidder and tractor tires.
Lights flash and change throughout the display. People can walk, ski, snowshoe and, yes, ride snowmobiles through it. At the display’s end is a small building where visitors can scan a QR code to see what’s happening there or find information about upcoming events.
Gamage envisions building about 15 large, brightly lit scenes throughout Spud Speedway’s grounds, each representing an aspect of The County: logging, farming, veterans, recreation and more.
“That’s many phases down the road, but we have to start somewhere,” Gamage said. “We’re starting to raise awareness about what the dream is.”
They’ve already designed a light display that will feature a lighted arch and a replication of a snowmobile flipping upside down, representing the SnowBowl, he said.
The whole effort could cost up to $1 million, Gamage estimated. In future years they plan to seek sponsorships and other funding to enlarge Northern Lights.
The venue is free this year for anyone to enjoy. As the project grows a small admission fee may be charged, he said.
Alan Swett, director of operations for the Augusta-based Maine Snowmobile Association, is enthused about the new installation and the fact that it’s accessible by snowmobile.
“I don’t believe there are any others [like it] in the state. Those folks up there have got it together,” he said.
The attraction could boost traffic in an area that’s a true destination for Maine snowmobiling, with its scenery, community support and groomed trails that are among the best in Maine, he said.
For Gamage, it’s all about celebrating the best of The County for locals and visitors, encouraging people to come not just to Caribou, but all over the area.
“Snowmobilers are looking for destinations, and if you have a group that’s deciding where to go for their next trip, this may be the tipping point.”
