Pat ThibodeauWith the Maine Winter Romp in February a faded memory by the end of winter, many New England enthusiasts eagerly looked forward to the Vermont Rovers’ Weenie Roast last May 16–18.
This year, I decided to ride with my friend, John Vallerand, Greene, ME, in his Defender 130 L316. We arrived Friday afternoon after a casual 4.5 hr trip from my home in nearby Leeds, ME. Hosts Glenn and Zoie Parent greeted us at their property in scenic Grafton, VT. We traded handshakes and hugs with the Parents and with rain in the forecast [again!], we set up shelter. Bruce Fowler, Benton, ME, of Maine Winter Romp fame, arrived shortly afterwards and attached his shelter with ours. Mother Nature considered our timing perfect and commenced with a heavy rainstorm. We could offer shelter and help to other early arrivals like Kyle Madigan [ME], Greg Brown [CT] and Gavin Warren [NY]. Gavin towed a trailer with his Defender 90 and its street tires; his would comprise the first winch recovery of many that weekend.
The next day at the main event, the saturated ground conditions offered a variety of challenges. As more Rovers arrived, the “Mud Bog” deepened and expanded into the entrance section. Glenn and his skeleton sidekick, “Mr. Bones,” greeted the arrivals and instructed them to, “Go straight up, near the top. Give it the beans and hug the tree line.” This gave some the platform to show off their “skills” in front of fellow enthusiasts. It soon became a “No Judgement” zone that provided only cheers and welcomes. For those who had taken Glenn’s advice and locked their front hubs, no problem. For some of the others, fellow enthusiast Ryan Swett, Portland, ME, and his LR3 stood ready as
a recovery team.
Zoie Parent provided her kind hospitality, Mike Kenney served as grill master once again, and many others contributed side dishes. The simple menu featured hot dogs — after all, this was the Weenie Roast! We all enjoyed our conversations and the great comfort food, with an extra bonus of some drier weather. Club Appreciation Awards went to Don Flye, founder of the All Metal Dash event, Mark Letorney of Rovers North, and neighbor Dean Vogel for the use of his adjacent property. Many thanks to Rovers North for donating items for the many raffle drawings.
After the awards, Glenn announced a Rover ride on the Power Line Hill Trail. I joined Greg Brown in his ’24 Defender L663, “Bumble,” and we followed behind Glenn so I could enjoy the long lines of Rovers behind us. We traveled through the scenic backroads of Grafton to the neighboring town of Windham until we came to the trail entrance. I stayed in place and kept taking photos of everyone traveling through, getting lots of waves and thumbs up! As the convoy neared its end, I realized I may not have thought this through completely — I would need a ride!
Fortunately, the last Rover belonged to Dean Vogel, the Parent’s neighbor, in his Defender 90 L316. He didn’t have any extra passenger space available inside his Rover but did have rock sliders with tree bars and a roof bar. He and his passengers welcomed me aboard. I passed my camera to the inside, hopped on the sliders and enjoyed the open-air ride while hanging on. Thankfully, Mollie, (Glen and Zoie’s daughter), had enough space for me. We caught up to the convoy where Glenn had stopped at another highpoint that allowed us all to socialize and admire the striking views of Vermont.
My mother had imprinted the value of photographs on me and encouraged me to capture memories when they present themselves. (She’s still the family photographer!) In her memory, I begged everyone to stand still for a group photo.
Once we returned to the event field, the darkening skies convinced many enthusiasts to hit the road. Sure enough, the clouds opened up with a fine show of heavy rain, thunder and lightning. We gathered under the canopy once again. A younger and more energetic Rowan Kenney, (Mike’s son), stayed busy pushing up the pockets of water gathering on the canopy to help prevent them from ruining our near perfect day.
This year’s 4th Annual Vermont Rovers Weenie Roast included over 40 Land Rovers, all leaving the event with muddy tires! Many of us shared memories of Dave Sweetapple, a founding member of the Vermont Rovers Club. We enjoyed the presence of 90-year-old Don Flye, whom Glenn reminded us, “Still has the Rover fever!” Many of us felt Dave’s presence continuing to bring us all together to celebrate and build life-long friendships, and of course, explore new adventures with our Land Rovers.
Many thanks to Glenn and Zoie Parent for continuing this fantastic event!
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