A row of parked cars on the side of the road narrowed the way up to the lodge as the designated parking space left no more room for any more visitors.

Climbing up the stairs to the . . .

porch, a muffled country song could be heard coming from within. At the nearby trail, skis were taken off and stuffed into trunks of SUVs.

Walking into the lodge, past the french doors with their green and white paint lightly scraped off, a mound of snowshoes rested on a wooden table. Down the hall leading to the dining room, a few kids played a game of mini curling on a table about the size of a pinball machine. The dining hall itself is packed, as well. A local band, The Hooleys, were entertaining the crowd.

Set up in the piano room beside the dining hall, Bonnie Beveridge was collecting money and handing out paper bracelets to the guests.

This, the Moonlight Ski and Snowshoe event, took place last Saturday night at Pine Lodge in Bristol.

It was the last fundraiser of the year for Ski Pontiac, an organization that provides the equipment and setting for skiing and snowshoeing experiences in the region. Bonnie Beveridge is their director and founding member.

Saturday night featured a 50/50 draw for the guests. According to Beveridge, half the proceeds go to the winner and half go to Ski Pontiac. The organization’s share goes towards maintaining the trails, paying for gas, insurance of the properties and machines.

Ski Pontiac collected about $1,000 from donations. Tom Healey was this month’s draw winner. He gave about half of his $100 back to the organization.

According to Healey, volunteers put in the work to maintain the trails. Snowshoes are provided for free and occasionally skiers come and donate their skis.

“If you look at the impact of what is happening here, this is as organic as you get, with a smile on your face,” Healey said

Pine Lodge, the venue for the event, also donates Ski Pontiac some of the proceeds coming from dinner bills.

There was a wide variety of appetizers on offer, including zucchini sticks, pita chips with spinach dip and bruschetta cheese. A chicken dish, lasagna and fish and chips were a fan of the options for the main course.

Healey said that, since they have a small community that usually attends these events, there are not many fine dining options on the menu to drive the cost of food up.

He said the crowd is an older community and they are mostly all friends. He himself recognizes everyone by their face and knows about a third of the guests by their first name.

“You look out here, do you see anybody having a bad time?” said Healey.

Pine Lodge also held a silent auction that evening. Items were donated for the auction. Bristol-based company Coronation Hall Cider Mills donated a couple of their bottles of cider, for example.

The winner of the auction pays the money to Ski Pontiac, who adds it to their donation fund.

Visitors also had the chance to take out snowshoes and skis and go out into the nearby trail.

This event has been happening for six years, according to Beveridge. The trend shows it is only becoming more popular.

“I would say the last two have been very successful, we’ve been getting over 100 people, at least,” she said.

Guests have filled up the dinning hall at Pine Lodge for Ski Pontiac’s fund-raising event on Saturday night. A live show, food and drink and a chance to take the skis and snowshoes out on the trails was on offer.

Register or subscribe to read this content

Thanks for stopping by! This article is available to readers who have created a free account or who subscribe to The Equity.

When you register for free with your email, you get access to a limited number of stories at no cost. Subscribers enjoy unlimited access to everything we publish—and directly support quality local journalism here in the Pontiac.

Register or Subscribe Today!