Shoot Out to honor memory of co-founder George Taylor 

The Shoot Out, an annual event that features “out of the box” snowmobile testing and racing on the grounds of the Otter Lake Fish and Game  Club, is scheduled for Friday, December 7.

Now in its 23rd year, organizers have announced the event’s name change to The George Taylor Memorial Shoot Out, in homage to co-founder George Taylor who passed away on August 30, 2012.

Taylor, former owner of Van Auken’s Inne, co-founded the event with Jim Czekala of Dyno Tech Research and Tom Smith, former owner of Smith Marine.

The inaugural race was held on a farmer’s field on Route 12. But, according to Czekala, who worked side-by-side with Taylor since the Shoot Out’s inception, the event was then held at the Ole Barn in Inlet before finding a home for the last 15 years on the grounds of the Otter Lake Fish and Game Club.

Czekala said the idea for a local Shoot Out came about when the snowmobile trade magazines became suspicious that snowmobile manufacturers were modifying sleds and making them more powerful prior to the larger Shoot Outs they sponsored.

“The sleds they sent appeared to be normal looking, but they were more powerful than the ones the consumer got,” he said.

A true Shoot Out is a test of sled models that come right out of the box to see which accelerates the best and which is the fastest, Czekala said. Continue reading →

Volunteer fire departments from Eagle Bay, Old Forge, and Inlet responded to a house fire at 114 Old Becker’s Road at 4:55 a.m. on Thursday, November 1.

The Eagle Bay Fire Department was the first on the scene, and according to Fire Chief Shane Beach, the house, which is currently being rented out, was unoccupied at the time of the fire.

The house was totally destroyed by the fire, Chief Beach said, with the cause yet to be determined.

Herkimer County Fire Investigators were at the scene on Thursday and the fire department is currently awaiting an investigation by the owner’s insurance company. Beach said the investigations could take up to a week.

The annual Turkey Party sponsored by the Eagle Bay Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary will be held Saturday, November 10 at 7 p.m. at the Eagle Bay Fire Department on Route 28.

The evening will include the  turkey raffle, 50/50 raffles, and raffles for a “Basket of Cheer” and a Dan’s Big M gift certificate.

There will be donuts, popcorn and a variety of other refreshments, and all are invited to attend.