Dean Schliek, president and founder of the Minnesota ATV Riders organization, is expecting quite an attendance this year for the 6th annual Ride the Shore event. He remembers the first year, when there were 45 machines taking part in the ride along the trails up on the North Shore.
“It’s really grown quite a bit since then,” he said, projecting 400- 450 participants this year. “What’s really exciting is that every year that we do this we get people who have never been there before. We’re truly helping people get out and explore new areas.”
The word has spread far and wide. Dean joked about getting a map of North America for those who participate to mark where they are coming from. Dean reported that ATV riders as far away as Chicago, Iowa, Winnipeg, Thunder Bay and “basically every corner of the state,” are headed to Silver Bay for Ride the Shore 2024, taking place on June 28th and 29th.
It’s the perfect setting, as many in the area know. There are hundreds of miles of trails and beautiful scenery for ATV enthusiasts to enjoy. The route mapped out for the ride takes riders from Silver Bay to Finland, looping around the Moose Walk and Moose Run Trails. There is no requirement for any of the participants to complete the entire route or hit all the Selfie Stations.
“Our selfie station tour is kind of what we call our mapped route,” said Dean. “It helps new people make sure they see all the scenic spots.”
This year, they’ve added the Northern Lights Night Ride to the event, which will take riders from Silver Bay to the Wildhurst Lodge for a bonfire and s’mores. Hopefully everyone gets to bed early enough to rest up for Saturday because there’s a lot of fun to partake in.
First thing in the morning, riders should be sure to get their energy up with a big breakfast. “The fire department has opened its doors to host the pancake breakfast Saturday morning,” Dean said. “It’s usually a big hit every year.”
From 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM gear sales, vendor displays, door prize displays, and food trucks (this year Baptism River Barbecue and Rainy Rose) will be found at HQ. Maps will be available to guide riders and ensure they hit all the sweet spots along the trails. Black Beach Mini Golf will be open for those who may need to stretch their legs and show off their mini golf skills.
Everyone who attends the event will get a door prize ticket and drawings will be held on Saturday at 6:30 PM. Looking at the list of those who helped donate prizes, I’m pretty tempted to get one of those tickets. Amsoil, KFI Products, Dennis Kirk, Up North Power & Sports, Polaris, the Minnesota Vikings, and the Minnesota Twins are on that list among many others and I’m sure they are doling out some pretty fun and useful prizes.
To wrap up the day, a bonfire will be held at Black Beach from 8:00-10:00 PM where I’m sure there will be a lot of conversations about how much fun everyone had throughout the weekend.
“Everybody that we’ve talked to, when they leave, says they can’t wait to come back,” said Dean. “That’s what we want. We want people coming back all throughout the whole season enjoying the trails and helping the economy up there.”
Not only does the event boost the economy, but all the proceeds raised through donations and sales of merchandise from the event are donated to the Silver Bay Veterans Home, specifically for their Recreational Department.
“That’s our main goal, besides trying to help the local community, is trying to make sure we say thank you by helping out the veterans’ home and making sure the veterans activity programs have some money to do fun stuff with the residents,” Dean said.
Last year, the Minnesota ATV Riders organization donated $10,000 and over the past 5 events they’ve donated almost $20,000 total.
The organization started as an online social group in 2015. It provided a forum for ATV enthusiasts to talk about all things ATVs. The community has grown over the years and has become a non-profit organization with members from all over the place. “It’s turned into mostly Minnesota members to 25-30% of our members are from out of state or even out of the country,” said Dean.
The sponsor list has also grown over the years, with generous businesses and organizations pitching in to make the event a success. Some of those sponsors include Mies Outland, Trail Star Audio, 10K Construction, and the Finland Snowmobile and ATV Club. Many of those helping out this year have sponsored it in the past and will continue to do so based on the feedback they receive.
“That’s what we want,” Dean said. “We want everybody to come up, have fun, make some memories, see some awesome scenery, and go home tired and safe and get invited back next year.”
For more information, such as a schedule of events, a list of sponsors, information about the Minnesota ATV Riders organization, and pictures of past events, visit mnatvriders.com.
