An Aroostook County winter festival will move its snowmobile races from Caribou to Presque Isle to take advantage of better conditions.
The third annual SnowBowl, planned in February, will include events from Mars Hill to Van Buren. Racing activities will move from Spud Speedway about 18 miles south to the Aroostook Centre Mall.
When Spud Speedway owners Jim Gamage and Troy Haney launched the first SnowBowl in Caribou in 2023, the response was bigger than they dreamed, drawing thousands to the area. But last winter’s lack of snow caused a dismal snowmobile season that devastated local businesses. Organizers hope the 2025 festival will bring a much-needed economic boost to a region that depends on winter recreation.
“We’ve got to take what we have for assets and bring them to light. Two of those are the people and the trail system,” co-founder Jim Gamage said. “We want to attract snowmobilers to make The County their destination.”
Mild temperatures and little snow last year made the Caribou speedway track too muddy to use. Organizers made a quick decision to move racing to the mall parking area, creating a track in 36 hours with 400 truckloads of snow.
It proved to be the perfect spot, Gamage said. Spectators and racers liked the surroundings. There’s also more parking and vendors can set up inside where it’s warm.
The 2025 event will offer a weeklong slate of snowmobile racing, a scenic ride, a snowman-building contest, a magic show and “restaurant rumble,” where participants can eat at central Aroostook restaurants and enter their names for drawings, he said.
Gamage, Haney and crew are introducing something new this year they hope will inspire residents and entice visitors to northern Maine. The speedway will debut phase one of its Spud Speedway Northern Lights project, similar to Boothbay Harbor’s Gardens Aglow — but with a County twist.
“We created a 70-foot tunnel of old quonset hut frames and made six snowmen out of old tractor and skidder tires,” Gamage said. “We’re going to light it all up with Christmas lights. It’s a tunnel you drive through.”
Phase two of the project is in the works for the following year, and will transform the speedway grounds into a trail with 15 lit displays showcasing elements of Aroostook: potato harvest, forestry, outdoor recreation, veterans and more.
While Caribou is disappointed that some portions of the SnowBowl will move to Presque Isle, the city supports Spud Speedway as it grows the audience for the annual winter event, Caribou City manager Penny Thompson said.
“Safety is of paramount importance to this type of experience and, due to the unpredictable nature of our spring weather, the organizers need to consider venues that are easiest to control to keep participants and spectators safe,” she said.
The entire region will benefit as people come to the event and spend money locally, Thompson said.
The SnowBowl will kick off on Sunday, Feb. 23, with Brian’s Ride, a guided 80-mile ride to the arch hangar at the former Loring Air Force Base, then on to a scenic spot in Van Buren with a hot lunch on the trail.
There will be a snowmobile hill climbing contest at BigRock Mountain in Mars Hill, the return of mindreader/magician Kent Axell and an evening at Spud Speedway with demonstration rides, a groomer rodeo, a bonfire and hot dog roast.
Everything moves to Presque Isle for the weekend of March 1 and 2, with pro racing and several classes of local competition, Gamage said. Vendors, food trucks, and a vintage sled display are planned at the mall.
X Racing owner Joe Duncan of Minnesota, creator of the Winter X Games, will bring his snocross racing team from across the country for a show on Saturday, March 1. Freestyle riders will present a stunt show with jumps and acrobatics.
Sunday, March 2, will be a family fun day, Gamage said. More snocross and vintage racing are on tap, along with local competitions in numerous age divisions so anyone can try out the track.
The business community has stepped up since day one to support the SnowBowl, he said. People are already booking accommodations for February, and one company has reserved 60 local rooms to bring its entire cohort.
That’s exactly what Gamage and Haney hoped for when they started.
“We want to get the kids out, we want to get the community involved, and we want people to have fun and make a memory and smile,” he said. “We want to give people a reason to celebrate winter.”
