Maine Snowmobile Parade Falls Short Of Minn. Record

RANGELEY, Maine (AP) — Riders didn't let the massive snowstorm stop a snowmobile parade in Maine on Saturday, but the bad weather meant the effort fell far short of breaking the record.

All told there were 157 snowmobiles for the event, which raised close to $7,000 for cystic fibrosis research, said Judy Morton of the Rangeley Chamber of Commerce. To the south, the storm dumped more than 30 inches of snow and many riders were unable to make it to the Rangeley region.

The existing record of 820 snow sleds in a parade was set in 2004 along a 29-mile course in Roseau, Minn., according to Guinness World Records.

For Saturday's event a few miles from the New Hampshire state line, riders gathered in Oquossoc village and rode a 30-mile route that took them to Rangeley village and back to Oquossoc, where a band was providing outdoor entertainment. A 5-year-old girl from Lewiston who has cystic fibrosis led the parade.

All proceeds will benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Northern New England.

The event was organized by the chamber, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, area businesses and others, Morton said.

The group is already planning another record attempt on Feb. 8, 2014.

Jim Milligan, one of the organizers, said he hopes to make the snowmobile parade an annual event. He also hopes that other snowmobile rides and events can be organized in the area to raise money for other charitable and nonprofit organizations.

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