ATVAM ATV Fair - ALL ATV OEMs on display plus Test Rides

[Dave]

ALL-TERRAIN VEHICLE ASSOCIATION OF MINNESOTA SCHEDULES

"FIRST" ANNUAL ATV FAIR, CONVENTION AND SWAP MEET

The first annual ATV Fair, Convention and Swap Meet has

been scheduled by the All-Terrain Vehicle Association of

Minnesota (ATVAM) on the first weekend of May at the Benton

County Fairgrounds in Sauk Rapids, MN. The event will

include a Quadmasters Multiple Challenge Event, ATV

manufacturers’ sponsor booths, dealers’ booths, various

vendor booths, swappers, demo rides and the ATVAM spring

meeting. The ATV Fair will be open to spectators at 7:00

a.m. on Saturday, May 6th and Sunday, May 7th, 2006.

The ATV Fair is approximately one hour from the Twin Cities

in central Minnesota near the intersection of I-94 and

Highway 10 by St. Cloud. Seven major ATV manufacturers are

sponsors of the event. Sponsors include Polaris,

Bombardier, Honda, Suzuki, Arctic Cat, Yamaha and Kawasaki.

Dustin Young, ATVAM Convention Committee Chair said, “We

are very excited about the support we are receiving from

the ATV manufacturers for this event. Not only will the

public be able to view the latest and best in ATVs, they

will be able to take them for a test ride on the ATV Test

Ride Course.” Young also pointed to the many dealers that

will be at the fair displaying and selling their products.

In addition, ATVAM has commissioned Quadmasters to stage a

professional competitive event in the grandstand area for

spectators. Competitors of all levels will have the

opportunity to drive their own ATVs through several

challenge courses. Courses include a Bolder Run, Bridge

Crawl, Mud Run, Trailer Course, Log Moguls, and an Urban

Run where competitors will have to drive over an

automobile. All of the courses run simultaneously

throughout most of the day on Saturday and Sunday during

the event. To pre-register to ride the challenges go to

www.quadmasters.net.

Chuck Twedt, Event Coordinator said, “I worked with the

Quadmaster’s Ultimate ATV Challenge in September of 2005

and never seen people have so much fun on their ATVs! All

competitors said that they would be back this year.”

In addition, ATV dealers, swappers and other vendors will

be at the event to show and sell their wares. Swapper’s

gate will open at 1:00 pm on Friday, May 5th and closes

when full.

Numerous ATV clubs will also be present to provide

information on trails sponsored by ATV clubs and club projects currently underway for trails and education. The Department of Natural Resources will be on site to provide information on trails, education, and enforcement as well as provide trail maps and information on the status of current projects. Youth ATV riders will also be able to get the latest information on youth safety classes scheduled for 2006.

On Saturday ATVAM will hold its annual spring membership

meeting at 12:30 p.m. to elect officers and conduct other

business items. At 5:00 p.m. that evening ATVAM will hold

its annual convention banquet and auction. ATVAM members

are encouraged to attend these important functions.

ATVAM is a non-profit organization established in 1983 and

currently has over 10,000 members and 70 clubs dedicated to

responsible ATV use, youth safety, and the development of

an environmentally sustainable ATV trail system. There are

currently nearly 250,000 registered ATVs in Minnesota.

Anyone interested in attending the ATV Fair either as a

spectator, vendor, or as a swapper can get additional

if they email me. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for youth.

[LMITOUT]

Anybody going to this?

[wally-eye]

I'm planning on going Saturday.

[Dave]

I'm planning for the weekend.

[Eiger0304]

Where are the Benton Cty. fairgrounds? Since I-94 and Hwy 10 never intersect, I got to believe its somewhere around Hwy 10 and Hwy 15.

[CFRay]

Benton County Fairgrounds are east of the Mississippi River at the border of St. Cloud & Sauk Rapids, (Wilson Avenue & 14th Street So., Sauk Rapids). Hwy. 10 to Hwy. 23/Division St. to Wilson Avenue, then north to 14th St.

[SomethingFishy*]

Should be there on Sunday.

[Dave]

OK, who went and what did ya think for a 1st time event? Overall, I think it's exactly what's needed to move forward with building more trails in MN. Congratulations to ATVAM for all their hard work!

[Shoot2Kill]

I didn't make it there until later in the day on Saturday, but the # of dealers, and the ATVAM booth were impressive. Very nice folks at the ATVAM building!

I wasn't very impressed with the Quadmasters challenge course...I didn't see anybody go through it though, but it just didn't look all that "challenging"..IMO.

[LMITOUT]

I got there about 9am on Saturday so the crowd was pretty thin. How was the crowd later? I'm hoping it picked up a little. The good thing was that the weather was decent for the event.

One of the vendors I was talking to mentioned that he was a little disappointed in how it was advertised in that really only the St. Cloud area was saturated and not very much exposure in the outlaying areas and beyond. If not for this forum I probably wouldn't have known about it either. Obviously it was the first year and it can only grow as the planning is fine-tuned.

It was nice to see all the major manufacturers there, although I don't think there was anything from factory Honda.....just Honda House. I was hoping there were more aftermarket vendors though.

I watched some of the ATV challange and it was entertaining. The mud pit took a couple victims until the last few figured it out and then there were about three in a row that made it. It was soupy! I think a little better coordination and planning could have helped a bit here too, but as I said before, it was the first year so there has to be a little forgiveness.

All in all I don't know if it was worth the $10 admission. It might be for someone who is shopping for an ATV since all brands were well represented and they had rides available too on some models.

[Dave]

The QuadMasters event is not related to ATVAM, so ya know. That's a separate company that ATVAM partnered with.

I thought there would've been more contestants. The QuadMasters isn't just for getting through it, S2K. You are timed and are penalized for out-of-bounds also, which makes it more interesting. I think there's an event in Princeton coming up, so, maybe you should enter that one... I'll bring the camera.

[Shoot2Kill]

Sounds good.. My bad...I just didn't see anybody go through it, and the mud pit was dried up (on top) by the time I saw it at 4 in the afternoon, so it didn't look all that mean. I didn't know there were points for out of bounds, etc...I just had a different kind of course pictured in my head. After 4 wheeling in Alaska for 4 years I have a distored view of what ATVing should be like.

When is the one in Princeton? I'd love to come and check it out.

[Dave]

Me bad, now. There was talk but it may not be Princeton. Google search "quadmasters" and you should find it on the web.

Some made it, some didn't

[Shoot2Kill]

Awesome! That mud didn't look anything like that when I saw it! Maybe I should have went back on Sunday to give it a go!

[LMITOUT]

This guy didn't make it either.....

[LMITOUT]

....getting pulled out and more background of the course.

I used my cell phone for pictures, so they aren't the best quality.

[SomethingFishy*]

I attended with my girlfriend on sunday. We arrived around 9 and walk around everything twice, left and came back, watched some more of the challenge course and left at about 2. It should be interesting to see how it will improve next year. We had a good time walking around and a great day for it. Thanks to those who put this on.

[Dave]

Maybe they'll use a school bus next year