New Bothwell holds its first vintage sled show and shine

By: Svjetlana Mlinarevic Posted: 11:34 AM CST Monday, Feb. 16, 2026

New Bothwell held its first vintage sled show and shine last Saturday and organizer Scott Latimer said he was very pleased with the turnout calling it “a good start.”

“That’s a great number for a first-time show. So it’s positive.” he said, noting 35 sleds were shown at the event which took place during the town’s Winter Carnival.

“I’m a vintage sled guy myself, and there’s not a lot of shows in this area. So, I figured it would be a great opportunity to combine the existing carnival here in New Bothwell and bring a little extra people in the door to look at some sleds.”

SVJETLANA MLINAREVIC THE CARILLON
New Bothwell held its first sled show and shine on Feb. 7, 2026, as part of the municipality’s Winter Carnival at the New Bothwell Recreation Centre. The inaugural event saw 35 sleds enter the contest one of which was this 1967 Polaris Mustang. — SVJETLANA MLINAREVIC THE CARILLON New Bothwell held its first sled show and shine on Feb. 7, 2026, as part of the municipality’s Winter Carnival at the New Bothwell Recreation Centre. The inaugural event saw 35 sleds enter the contest one of which was this 1967 Polaris Mustang.

The New Bothwell show and shine is one of many sled show and shines to be held in the month of February in the Southeast, with communities such as Woodridge, St Malo, and Prawda hosting their own shows.

Latimer had six trophies: four award categories based on age, the Fan Favourite, and the Chairman’s Choice.

Winning Fan Favourite was Gabriel Ste Marie for his grandfather’s 1995 Polaris XCR 600.

“I wasn’t expecting to win actually. (I feel) great.”

The 13-year-old is a fan of Polaris snowmobiles because “they drive like a car.” It took his grandfather, Dennis Ste Marie, a year-and-a-half to restore the snowmobile, which Dennis said was “a cross country racer” making it very special.

SVJETLANA MLINAREVIC THE CARILLON
Kleefeld's Isaac family looks at a 1971 Skidoo TNT with a 610 cc engine named L'il Pucker. They came to check out New Bothwell's first sled show and shine on Feb. 7, 2026, as part of the municipality’s Winter Carnival at the New Bothwell Recreation Centre. It was the family's first time at a sled shine and show. The inaugural event saw 35 sleds enter the contest. — SVJETLANA MLINAREVIC THE CARILLON Kleefeld's Isaac family looks at a 1971 Skidoo TNT with a 610 cc engine named L'il Pucker. They came to check out New Bothwell's first sled show and shine on Feb. 7, 2026, as part of the municipality’s Winter Carnival at the New Bothwell Recreation Centre. It was the family's first time at a sled shine and show. The inaugural event saw 35 sleds enter the contest.

“There’s nothing like it,” said Dennis.

The snowmobile enthusiasts participate in a show and shine every weekend and Dennis said that it’s a great way to meet people.

“It’s kind of high,” he said describing the feeling of entering his Polaris into shows.

Winning the Chairman’s Choice was Darrel Mozil with his 1970 Polaris TX 300 Playmate.

“I don’t care which award I get, as long as I get the people’s choice. No judging, that’s the people’s choice. That’s what it is,” he said about his win.

SVJETLANA MLINAREVIC THE CARILLON
New Bothwell held its first vintage sled show and shine on Feb. 7, 2026, as part of the municipality’s Winter Carnival at the New Bothwell Recreation Centre. The inaugural event saw 35 sleds enter the contest one of which was this 1986 Yamaha Phazer with a 485cc twin-cylinder, 2-stroke, fan-cooled engine. The sled is owned by Niverville resident David Magill, who bought the snowmobile in Fort St John, B.C. when he lived there. He disassembled it ad shipped it to Niverville when he moved to the town in 2005. It took him about a month to assemble everything. It was his first time at a sled show and shine. — SVJETLANA MLINAREVIC THE CARILLON New Bothwell held its first vintage sled show and shine on Feb. 7, 2026, as part of the municipality’s Winter Carnival at the New Bothwell Recreation Centre. The inaugural event saw 35 sleds enter the contest one of which was this 1986 Yamaha Phazer with a 485cc twin-cylinder, 2-stroke, fan-cooled engine. The sled is owned by Niverville resident David Magill, who bought the snowmobile in Fort St John, B.C. when he lived there. He disassembled it ad shipped it to Niverville when he moved to the town in 2005. It took him about a month to assemble everything. It was his first time at a sled show and shine.

His Playmate was only manufactured for one year. Mozil retained the snowmobile’s original S340 engine, but the rest of the sled was restored with 99 percent new old stock.

“I had one of these when we were kids. So, I restored this. It took me 10 years to find a track for it, because its got kind of a special track, 12 inches wide and I restored it. I restored it probably three years ago.”

Both Mozil and Dennis had nothing but praise for the New Bothwell show saying it was well organized and well attended for its inaugural year. Both hoped to see it grow.

Latimer, who works for the RM as the parks lead hand, came up with the idea for the show in August last year after seeing that there wasn’t a show in the Hanover area.

Latimer is a snowmobiler and collector of vintage and modern sleds, having five in his collection, of which three are vintage. His favourite sled is his little 1969 Playmate and sleigh, which he showed at the show and shine.

SVJETLANA MLINAREVIC THE CARILLON
Avid snowmobile enthusiast and collector Vaughn Bergen sits on his 1971 Wee Ski Pocket Rocket 16, a kids’ sled, at New Bothwell’s inaurgural vintage sled show and shine on Feb. 7, 2026, as part of the municipality’s Winter Carnival at the New Bothwell Recreation Centre.
Bergen, who boasts almost a dozen sleds in his collection, calls himself a “hoarder” of Polaris sleds, clothing, and collectables. He has had his Pocket Rocket for 30 years.
The Pocket Rocket was manufactured in Quebec in 1971 and 1972 and was sold for $498. More than 300 were manufactured with very few remaining in Manitoba and only two locally, according to Bergen. It has a 160cc engine and weighs about 150 pounds. It was named after Montreal Canadians hockey player Henri Richard. The NHL Hall of Fame centre was nicknamed “the Pocket Rocket.” — SVJETLANA MLINAREVIC THE CARILLON Avid snowmobile enthusiast and collector Vaughn Bergen sits on his 1971 Wee Ski Pocket Rocket 16, a kids’ sled, at New Bothwell’s inaurgural vintage sled show and shine on Feb. 7, 2026, as part of the municipality’s Winter Carnival at the New Bothwell Recreation Centre. Bergen, who boasts almost a dozen sleds in his collection, calls himself a “hoarder” of Polaris sleds, clothing, and collectables. He has had his Pocket Rocket for 30 years. The Pocket Rocket was manufactured in Quebec in 1971 and 1972 and was sold for $498. More than 300 were manufactured with very few remaining in Manitoba and only two locally, according to Bergen. It has a 160cc engine and weighs about 150 pounds. It was named after Montreal Canadians hockey player Henri Richard. The NHL Hall of Fame centre was nicknamed “the Pocket Rocket.”

The 1969 Playmate was the first kids’ sled made by Polaris, making it unique according to Latimer. As time progressed racers began putting bigger engines in the sleds and racing them up until 1972 when the sled was discontinued.

“It’s a neat, cool little piece, and then I found the sleigh to match for it, too. Originally from 1969, so it’s hard to find those,” he said, noting the 57-year-old sled still works.

Latimer has had the sled for five years, which took two years to restore.

“You just have to search for (the parts). They’re getting more and more harder to find pieces, and a little more expensive. But it’s great when you have a project that doesn’t work, and then you bring it back to life.”

He said collecting and rebuilding vintage sleds is a growing hobby for snowmobile enthusiasts. He noted the design and the style of the sleds makes them attractive to snowmobilers, claiming “they don’t make them like that anymore.”

“They were pretty simple once upon a time, whereas now it’s all electronic, and everything is crammed into a sled. So, you really need to be a proper technician on the new sleds, whereas these old ones, if you have a bit of knowledge, you can figure things out pretty quick.”

The monetary investment for these sleds can be high, according to Latimer who invested $600 restoring the Playmate itself. He noted people spend thousands to restore their sleds depending on the type of machine it is.

“More and more people are getting into it, which means there’s more and more demand for parts of certain machines. So, it can be a hefty investment, but if you love it, you love it.”

One of the avid vintage sled collectors at the show and shine was Vaughn Bergen, who boasts almost a dozen sleds in his collection. He wouldn’t say how much he spent on his collection, noting it grew gradually over time as he would continuously see sleds he liked and buy them. He calls himself a “hoarder” of Polaris sleds, clothing, and collectables.

At the show and shine, Bergen displayed his working Wee Ski Pocket Rocket 16, which he’s owned for 30 years having bought it off his cousins.

“I’ve rode it once or twice when I first got it, but I’m a little bit too big for it,” he said jokingly about the kids’ sled.

The Pocket Rocket was manufactured in Quebec in 1971 and 1972 and was sold for $498. More than 300 were manufactured with very few remaining in Manitoba and only two locally, according to Bergen. It has a 160cc engine and weighs about 150 pounds. It was named after Montreal Canadians hockey player Henri Richard. The NHL Hall of Fame centre was nicknamed “the Pocket Rocket.”

“It’s a little bit bigger than what a Kitty-Kat is. It’s got a little bit more power. From a Kitty-Kat, you can go up to this one before you get into a full-size sled. It goes 20 miles an hour. It’s actually a fast little sled.”

Bergen has been to a number of sled show and shines over the years and he used to have his show in Blumenort for seven years. He also praised the New Bothwell show saying he will be back next year.

Latimer said snowmobiling is a growing sport, “so if you’re in it, you’re in it. It’s kind of a bit of a niche club, but it’s a great community once you’re involved in it.”