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U.S. awards Sault Ste. Marie snowmobile track $2 million

Snowmobiles race for the 2022 I-500 event in Sault Ste. Marie.
Courtesy of Sault Ste. Marie Convention & Visitor's Bureau
Snowmobiles race for the 2022 I-500 event in Sault Ste. Marie.

Linda Hoath was getting ready to retire. Then she was told her town’s nationally recognized snowmobile track would be getting two million dollars awarded.

“It’s exciting. It’s really exciting," said Hoath, executive director of Sault Ste. Marie's visitor's bureau. "When you're coming down the I-75, you can see it right from there, and you'll see improvements to it."

The city hosts the I-500 snowmobile race every year, but she said the track can get too muddy to do anything outside of winter.

With the grant, she said they can invest in infrastructure for dirt track racing and even concerts.

“For me it’s legacy. It’s legacy for all families in the community," Hoath said. "I can tell you probably every single family in this community has been touched one way or another with the I500.”

They hope to start breaking ground as soon as next summer, she said.

Ben Jodway is an intern, serving as a reporter for WCMU Public Media and the Pioneer in Big Rapids. He has covered Indigenous communities and political extremism in Michigan.