Oh What a Night
I read in the River Valley Sun https://rivervalleysun.ca/ that oval track snowmobile races are coming back to Connell Park Raceway in Woodstock February 17th and 18th, 2024. This is the first time there will be oval track races since 1981. I remember they did snowmobile drag races on the Grafton Cove around 1990. Different modifications to similar machines.
Remembering the event, I wore dad’s one-piece ski doo suit. The Night Chicago Died was a hit when it was new. The suit had a repaired zipper that pulled from the right shoulder to behind my left knee. Open it gave me a disemboweled look. My white half helmet with a yellow stripe had vinyl ear tabs held a yellow buble visor. Raising it by the throttle finger on my gauntlet mitten gave myself and others quite a view..
While I was standing on the sidelines with two local funeral directors, one of them stating that he bought a new coach, a hearse by any other name. He was trying to decide what he should put on the license plate. It took a while for the snowmobiles to line up and start, then restart, there were pauses between races, so I was just listening to the boys talk.
The downriver funeral director said that the upper river guy should put “prepaid” on his plate. He was referring to the fact that the owner was actively soliciting prepaid funerals. I suppose I’m a competitor to the funeral business because I sell small permanent policies that are easy to apply for and easy to approve to cover for funeral and burial expenses.
At any rate, I was thinking about what a tough job these guys have and how they are all in on a very important task, looking after people once they are unable to look after themselves.
The downriver funeral director told how he was called out one night and wasn’t dressed for the winter or the night. He took a center zip bag and got in a caboose behind a snowmobile. A snow mobile party had discovered a gentleman who had hit a tree on his sled and unfortunately perished.
Body Bag
The RCMP officer wanted to know how they were going to get that fellow, who they had zipped in the body bag, back to the road and ultimately back to the ambulance. The funeral director said, “I’m gonna put him in the caboose.” The RCMP officer asked, “how will you keep him in?”
“I’m going to get in first and hold him.” Said the down river funeral director.
I was moved by the story. Holding the poor victim bobbing through the dark woods lit by the tow sled head light.
I don’t feel sad enough to stop selling final expense insurance because I think it’s a less expensive alternative you can claim anywhere in the world when the money is needed. https://www.omegafinancialinc.ca/get-a-quote/
On race day everyone else was wearing a two-piece leather suit. I cut quite a swath. Anyway, I showed up and participated.
