LYLE – There is, indeed, royalty in Mower County and its neighboring Freeborn County.

Wednesday, July 14, 1999

LYLE – There is, indeed, royalty in Mower County and its neighboring Freeborn County. That would be the Lords of London snowmobile club.

Last Friday night, the club members celebrated 25 years of winter fun.

The setting was the Lyle American Legion Club headquarters and the place was packed with over 100 members and friends.

It isn’t the oldest sled club in the area. The SPAMTOWN Sno-Drifters have that honor. But, it has survived and succeeded long enough to be a popular and respected organization, representing all sledders with the best it can offer.

For John "Jack" and Carol Kline, it could have been a family reunion. The couple were honored for being the only charter members of the club, which is headed by David Kline, president, and whose brother, Gene, is a member.

The Lords of London have their own clubhouse at London near the Mower-Freeborn county line and current membership is 60.

David Morgan is vice president and Paula Goslee is treasurer. Angie Helland handles secretary responsibilities.

The club maintains 17 miles of trail, including six miles inside Freeborn County. "I think what makes this club special is that we have such a good relationship with landowners," said Gene Kline. "This is important to the success of any club and we have it."

Gene and Darcy Kline and their sons, Eric and Alex, and daughter, Samantha, all enjoy snowmobiling. "It’s a family affair for us," said Gene. "It’s good fun for all of us to enjoy."

Todd and Julie Enger joined the club in 1989. "We just like to have a good time and this is the way to do it," said Todd.

David and Mary Morgan take their two children, ages 5 and 7, with them on rides, hauling them on a "Kitty Cat" sled. David has been sledding "all his life," he said, starting with his parents and then enjoying it with a brother and a sister.

Over and over, the members stressed how much fun snowmobiling is for the entire family. Club president David Kline, a farmer, had another reason for its popularity. "It makes winter in Minnesota go by fast," he said. "Winter is the only free time you have if you’re a farmer."

Special guests at Friday night’s 25th anniversary bash included Minnesota Snowmobile Association officials.

Larry Shepherd of Faribault is past-state president and current president of Region V.

"I think snowmobiling in this part of the state has a good image," Shepherd said. "We need more trail development in my opinion. Ideally, we would like to link up with other trails for a 100-mile loop. That’s an idea run, but now we face losing some of our state funding."

Bob Linn of Waterville, the current state MSA vice-president, echoed Shepherd’s sentiments both about the image of snowmobilers and possible funding woes.

A former Region V president for nine years, Linn said, "The majority of snowmobilers are safety-conscious people, who follow the law and are respectful of property owners. Those should be the top two priorities along with zero-tolerance for reckless driving."

However, Linn worries a proposal to cut funding from one percent to three-fourths of a percent as well as other possible funding problems threaten the organization’s mission.

"Tourism means a lot to the state’s economy and snowmobiling contributes a lot of tourism dollars," Linn said. "We need to develop the sport with more trails, that are wider and safer for today’s snowmobiles," he said.

Jim Brandt of Austin was sporting a tan thanks to a recent snowmobiling visit out west. He is a vice president and state director for Region V and belongs to both the Lords of London and the Good Time Riders clubs.

He and his wife, Gloria, have enjoyed snowmobiling since 1971.

Brandt decries the suggestions of a "bad image" of snowmobilers and suggests it could be drivers, who hit the snow trails early in the season, when there is still thin ice on waterways. When they are involved in accidents or other reckless incidents, the image of all suffers, according to Brandt.

Is Brandt worried about the possible reduction in funding for the sport? "Absolutely, I am concerned," he said. "We’re growing in numbers all the time. There are new sledders wanting to enjoy the sport. This is not the time to cut spending."

Brandt, in particular, worries that snowmobilers need assistance with trail development. Brush has over-grown some snowmobile trails turning a two-way trial into a one-way pathway. "We must provide safer, wider trails for all sledders, but particularly because of the number of out-of-state sledders which Minnesota attracts and which help our tourism economy with the dollars they spend here," he said.

The honored guests, Jack and Carol Kline, have been sledding since 1970. "It was the friendships we made and just being outside that attracted me to the sport," Jack said.

Friendships renewed and sledding cemented everyone’s observation Friday night that the Lords of London had a royal good time celebrating their 25th anniversary.