Snowmobile enthusiasts and those who own businesses related to them are certainly not having a great winter due to the lack of snow cover, and lack of snow is not helpful for certain fundraising events, either.

Last year’s story is repeated this year when it comes to wishing for snow for sponsors of the eighth annual Poker Run to benefit Pine Tree Camp for Handicapped Children and Adults in Rome.

Susan Hall of Hampden reports the five snowmobile clubs, with headquarters in Carmel, Glenburn, Hampden, Hermon and Levant, will be hosting this annual event with check-in time from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, Jan. 20, at each of the five clubs.

You must complete your run by 4 p.m. that day by returning to your starting point.

Depending on the weather, of course, Hall has to remind you that your run can be made either by snowmobile or by automobile and, once again, it looks like the latter will be your best mode of transportation.

However, Hall believes “this event can be successful even without snow,” as long as you participate in the other activities sponsored by the various clubs.

“Each club has breakfast, lunch, raffle and other activities,” Hall pointed out, “so someone may want to come for breakfast or lunch” whether they participate in the Poker Run or not.

The public is invited to enjoy any and all of the activities at the five clubs, and a chance to eat out with friends will help make this fundraiser a successful one.

Hall also reminds you that Pine Tree Camp receives 100 percent of the net Poker Run proceeds, and that the cost is just $5 per hand with no limit on the number of hands you can purchase.

Hall hopes many people will participate, snow or no snow, and help support this fundraiser for Pine Tree Camp, a 280-acre facility established in 1945 and located on North Pond in Rome.

For more information about this annual event to benefit this longtime Maine facility, call Susan or Bill Hall at 862-2062.

Here’s a reminder that the first annual Winter Beach Ball begins at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 19, at the Bangor Civic Center.

A casual event with light refreshments by Montes International Catering, the evening will feature the music of the Tony Boffa Band.

Hosted by the Eastern Maine Medical Center Auxiliary, proceeds will benefit the Rosen Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Individual tickets are $25 and limited tables of 10 are available for $250.

To make your reservations, call 973-5055.

Are you interested in the history of film?

The University of Maine at Machias is offering a spring course in this subject that is available not only to on-campus students but members of the community as well.

The course will be offered from 6 to 8:50 p.m. beginning Monday, Jan. 22, at UMM, and can be audited or taken for credit.

Robert Froese will teach the course, which will include viewing and discussing films from the first Edison nickelodeon to contemporary American independent films.

To register or receive more information, call the UMM First Stop office, 255-1470, or the UMM registration office at 255-1330.

Anyone planning to attend the January Thaw Live and Silent Auction to benefit Penquis Community Action Program’s Good Neighbor Fund is encouraged to purchase tickets in advance.

Sponsored by Bangor Savings Bank, the fundraiser is planned for 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 23, at Able Blood’s Pub and Restaurant in Dover-Foxcroft.

Tickets are $25 each and can be obtained by calling Maria Staples at Penquis CAP, 973-3586, or by e-mailing her at mstaples@penquiscap.org.

It is hoped that the event, which offers complimentary beverages and delicious summertime fare, will be able to cure your winter blues.

Proceeds benefit the fund that provides heating assistance to individuals and families in Penobscot, Piscataquis and Knox counties.

I have no way of knowing if anyone in our readership served on the USS Maddox Destroyer (DD-168, DD-622 and DD-731), but on the off chance someone did, Cliff Gillespie of Jennings, La., wants you to know the USS Maddox Destroyer Association Reunion is Sept. 13-16 in Herndon, Va.

Gillespie hopes this announcement will assist in locating old shipmates.

For more information about the reunion, write Gillespie at 2118 Hines Road, Jennings, La. 70546; call him at (337) 616-8450; or e-mail cwgilles45@aol.com.

Joni Averill, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor 04402; 990-8288.