Village Squire, 1979-01, Page 8he chalet at Hully Gully now is used mostly as a recreation all
and snack bar.
sanctioned. It went well and he planned extensively for the next
season, beginning with a spring sanctioned race. But the spring
was hot and dry and the track turned to dust and all the publicity
he had dreamed about turned into bad publicity.
The summers were hectic times with both snowmobile drag
races and motocross races. The couple was working seven day
weeks and was lucky. Randy recalls if they got two Sundays off
all summer. Although the poor conditions of the early spring race
led to the loss of sanctioned professional races things went
reasonably well with junior and schoolboy classes of motocross
that took place on eight weekends during the summer and
attracted as many as 465 entries. These brought whole families
to the resort and they camped out. In the summer there is still a
tented city across the water of the artificial lake from the chalet,
Randy says. It's a sport that' brings families together.
As if the races summer and winter weren't enough, the couple
used the chalet to cater to banquets and dances, meaning that
they worked late into the night on Saturdays only to get up and
go all day on Sunday with races.
And all the time there was the struggle to keep the creditors at
arns length, he recalls. They were serious times. Today those
days can be looked back on a little easier. Things have gone well
lately for the company. Today they try to do Tess and find more
time for the family which has been neglected in the urgency of
building the business. The chalet today is open as a recreation
centre and snack bar on weekends as the couple gave up the
catering business. The snowmobile trails have been turned over
to the Hully Gully snowmobile club, a separate group from the
company. The trails lead out in all directions and take
snowmobilers to Varna, and on to Bayfield. down to Hensall and
the Hay swamp, aid towards Clinton.
The races aren't held in winter but the oval track is still
available for use by the visitors. The little "sugar shack"
A -frames have been revamped and now have electricity and are
heated with propane and so well insulated that it takes very little
to keep them warm. They are rented most weekends.
There are really three different divisions to the company now:
motorcycle sales and service. snowmobile sales and service and
the motocross races. Many of the other areas of activity have
been reduced because of the shortage of staff. There are now
eight people working fulltime at Hully Gully but more are needed
in particular areas and getting the right people is difficult.
Randy says.
Sales and service. which once had no place in the scheme of
things during those dreaming days in 1969-70 are now the main
action with the company. Hully Gully now claims to be the
largest Arctic Cat dealer in Ontario and the largest dealer of
Suzuki motorcycles outside of Toronto. Huge stocks of both
summer and winter recreation vehicles now occupy the barn
where once the Hully Gully dairy herd was housed. The
transition from farmers to resort operators has been complete
and for the first time. the young couple can sit back and relax a
bit and enjoy their success and their family. Yes. there was
something good that could be done with all that snow.
mkt
To you, whose
faith and
goodwill
we treasure.
i we wish a happy
u �..
and prosperous
✓ New Year.
FINE FURNITURE: • PAINTS
CARPETS • W'AI.I.CO% ERIN(,ti
Robert L. Plurnsteel
Interiors
DECORATING
PHONE 527-0902
SEAFORTH
January 1979. Village Squire 5