Hayward, Wisconsin
Another end-of-snowmobile-season bonfire gathering by the NW Relic Riders Vintage Snowmobile Club is in the books! Our club used to hold this fun event during January – on top of the hill behind Bruce and Susan McMillin’s house on Mosquito Brook Road. The McMillin home is close to Trail 31 so most would ride their sleds to the January bonfire where we’d gather for a fun afternoon before hitting the trail for a short ride at the end of the day.
There is a large open area in the woods behind Bruce’s house on top of the hill – we would get a huge, rip-roaring bonfire going so we could all stay warm as we sat around visiting. Craig Bell would grill burgers and brats and others brought side dishes to feast on. Of course, there is always a refreshment table set up as well- and I remember one year of below zero weather, our hot chocolate, catsup and many other condiments and non-alcoholic drinks froze and erupted from the tops of their bottles!
We would all sit around the firepit, eating, laughing and telling jokes until it was time for our ride, which usually took place around Nelson Lake.
A few years ago, and I don’t remember exactly why, but we moved the date of this event to the first Sunday in March. Nothing much has changed other than during the years of low or no snow, we move it off the hill and down to Bruce and Susan’s yard and garage- that is where we ended up this year!
When I walked up to the garage on March 2, 2025, I heard the guys out at the grill, giving each other grief and laughing. I saw a beautifully arraigned basket of smores ingredients on the picnic table and just knew that it had to be the handiwork of Swanie.
Inside the garage was a table absolutely filled with side dishes, slow cookers and endless snacks! At the other end of the garage, I noticed Swanie near her famous ‘bloody mary bar’- an extremely well-appointed bar sure to please everyone who would want a bloody mary. Her roommate, Sandra, sat nearby, and on crutches from a knee injury.
Bruce McMillin sat at the ‘head’ of the garage, near the counter area, and his wife, Susan was on the move organizing snacks. Bill Noonan sat near Bruce and kept his ‘groan meter’ warmed up.
So many Relic Riders came this year- the garage and the yard areas were filled with Relics! Folks milled in and out of the garage, warmly greeting each other and telling jokes. Everyone took their swipe at the food table and I saw plates heavy with tasty-looking food, brats and burgers pass me many times.
The Relic Riders are masters at creating fun, and soon the crowd was participating in Bruce’s knock-knock jokes and trivia questions- flanked by Bill Noonan’s live groan meter. In between, club members ran a 50-50 raffle, which Tom Whitt won! Craig called out the door prize winners who got to choose from a variety of liquors and gift cards.
I could not stay until the end as I had to get working on my Sawyer County Record articles, and I have to say, it was hard to leave this fun event. These are my people, and their motto, which we all had to practice at the bonfire, is what it’s all about; “ITS JUST FOR FUN”
Below are the pictures I took at the Relic’s Bonfire-and I didn’t get everyone. I put pictures into two groups. If you click on pictures in a group, they will open to larger sizes with captions, depending upon the device you are using. I hope you enjoyed this short story about a phenomenal snowmobile club in Hayward, WI, the Relic Riders!
