Newtown’s Winterset Ski Club will be holding its annual picnic on Sunday, September 23, at Hop Brook Lake in Middlebury.

All members or prospective members are welcome.

The picnic will begin at 1 pm. The club will supply wine, beer, soda, hot dogs and hamburgers and members are asked to bring a dessert, main dish, or salad. Badminton and horseshoes, a baseball game (bring your bats and gloves) and yard games for the kids will be part of the day. The park opens at 8:00 a.m. and has hiking and biking trails, picnic shelters and a beach and swimming area if you want to make a day of it.

There will be informational tables set up so that you can conveniently renew your membership and/or sign up for upcoming trips.

Contact Nancy Chucta at 734-8967 or Ann Krane at 426-5292.

And speaking of upcoming trips, the club has some special trips planned for this season:

ITALY: A trip to the Italian Dolomites is being planned for President’s week, February 15-23. The cost is $1,285 per person for double occupancy and includes direct airfare, seven night accommodations, breakfast and dinner, and six days of ski tickets. Anyone interested in more information on this trip can call Ham Brosius or Ann Krane at 426-5292 or email to annkrane@ct1.nai.net.

CANADA: The club is again offering a bus trip during the same week to Magog, Canada, February 17-22. Forty people enjoyed this trip last year (see picture). The cost is from $360 to $400 per person depending on room occupancy and includes five nights of lodging, five days of skiing and an all-you-can-eat and everything you-could-want breakfast, as well as an excellent dinner each evening. Participants will ski at four different mountains during the week (Orford, Sutton, Owls Head, and Jay Peak), offering a variety of trails and terrain. For more information on the Canadian trip, contact April Arnold (426-2904) or Judy McCarthy (266-7191).

VERMONT: The On-Snow Carnival Weekend which the club has taken part in for a number of years, will be held at Sugarbush Mountain from March 8-10. This is a great family weekend. There are racing events and other competitions against other clubs from The Connecticut Ski Council. Prices and more information on this weekend event can be obtained from Mike and Nickie O’Toole by email otoolem@hs.utc.com or by telephone (888-7007.

MAINE: Each year the club sponsors two trips to Sugarloaf in Maine. The first is a long weekend in December (6-9) at a cost of $178/adult, $160/Jr or Sr, which includes three nights of lodging in ski-in ski-out condos and three days of skiing. The other is from March 17-22 and includes 51/2  days of skiing, ski-in, ski-out condos, unlimited use of the Sports & Fitness Club, which includes a work-out center, pool and indoor and outdoor hot tubs, free daily lessons and the option of down hill skiing, cross country or snow-shoeing . This area of Maine consistently receives more snow in March than any other month and yet the temperature in never too cold or uncomfortable. If you haven’t skied Sugarloaf, you’ve missed one of the best. Any Lapati will be happy to give you more information on this trip (email ajlapi@juno.com or telephone 426-9896).

Winterset also sponsors other yearly activities such as a Kick-off Raffle Night in November, (we raffle off lift tickets to almost every ski mountain in the Northeast!), a Christmas Party, a Potluck Dinner, awards & pizza night and an annual dinner dance as well as the opportunity to learn to race at a racing clinic and participate in Monday night racing at Mount Southington.

For racing information, contact Brian Burke, at 426-3262.

Members are also eligible to purchase bulk-buy ski tickets at reduced prices to Okemo ($35), Killington ($38) Pico Peak ($30), Bromley ($39, and others. The bulk buy purchases are in September, so if you’re interested, don’t delay in contacting Al Benoit, at 426-3680.

Newtown’s own Winterset Ski Club is a non-profit organization, subsidizing its bus trips and lessons as much as possible in order to keep the exhilarating sports or skiing and boarding affordable to everyone. Founded in 1970 as a close-knit family club, it has grown to be one of the largest clubs in the area serving all of Fairfield County. The club now consists of many singles, a growing number of young families and senior citizens, with all levels of ability offering companionship and the camaraderie of kindred spirits.

A typical Sunday bus trip (8 - 10 per winter), for instance, gets members to mountains such as Okemo, Magic, Bromley, Stratton, Mt. Snow and Jiminy Peak early, safely, in comfort and in good company. After a day of skiing, the bus provides a pleasant, relaxing trip home, where members can enjoy a movie, snacks and drinks rather than fighting traffic or weather.

For more information on our bus trips, contact Angie Taylor at 270-9889.

The membership fee for all of this is only $35/year for a single member with $5for each additional member in the household.

Contact Linda Vitrella, Membership Chairperson, at 426-0430.