Birchleggings Club Dakota Trail 2nd Annual Bicycle Ride Wrap-Up

The Birchleggings Club Dakota Trail 2nd Annual Bicycle Ride was held on Thursday, August 14, 2025, on the beautiful Dakota Rail Regional Trail that goes from Wayzata to Lester Prairie, Minnesota. We had 12 riders that did distances of 57, 38, 29, or 13 miles with starting places in Wayzata, Mound, Saint Bonifacius, and Mayer along the trail.

We were lucky as rain had been predicted on and off all day, but while cloudy and cool, there were only a few sprinkles at the end of the rides.

Pictured from right to left are: Paul, Dan, Dave, Greg, Tim, Dave, Kat, Bob, Kevin, Emily, Matt, and Edward.

Lunch was at the famous Central Café in Lester Prairie, a local establishment that has been run by Mary Kate for 18 years. It is an experience just going in and seeing all the things she has on the walls. The food is always home cooked, and was enjoyed by all.

The group was a good mixture of American Birkebiner Skiers (136 total Birkies, if I counted correctly), Twin Cities Bicycle Club (TCBC) Members, and two riders that just saw the ride when doing a search of the Internet. It was fun meeting old and new friends and spending lunch talking about either Nordic Skiing or Bicycling! Two of our favorite sports!

I enjoyed organizing and leading the ride for the Birchleggings Club for the second year in a row, and posting it as an Outreach Ride for TCBC. Thanks to Paul for the photographs!

Submitted by: Edward Eroe, Birchleggings Club Board Member and TCBC Member.

Notice of Annual Meeting and Election of Board of Directors

The Birchleggings Club of the American Birkebeiner (BLC) will be holding this year's annual meeting on Friday, September 26, 2025, at the SC Johnson Family Outdoor Center at the Double OO Trailhead of the Birke trail near Seeley, WI from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm. Following a picnic, the annual meeting will conduct club business that will include a review of the past year's club activities and accomplishments, introduce and solicit ideas for the upcoming year, conduct voting for important club decisions and announce the results of the election of Birchleggings Club Board of Director members.  This event is free. For more information and to signup, click on the link below:

Info and RSVP Here

We ask that you please register so we can plan for the number of picnic and meeting attendees. Board of Directors Election – Nominations are open! There are four seats to be filled for our board of directors. We encourage you to consider running for one of them. The BLC board meets slightly less than once per month to manage club activities, set the course for the club’s future, and formulate input that we send to the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation. Being a board member gives you a special opportunity with a direct line to influence the Birkie’s future. The BLC board usually meets via Zoom virtual teleconferencing. The term of office will be three years and multiple terms may be held. If you would like to nominate someone, or yourself, please send an email message to Jim Tenorio, BLC Secretary, at tenorioj@uwstout.edu. The nomination should include the name of the nominee and the person who is nominating her/him. State “self nomination” if you are entering yourself in the pool of candidates. Include in your nomination message: 1) a .jpeg-file photo of yourself, 2) your skiing/Birkie background, involvement in the Birkie or the BLC, 3) the skills and talents you would bring to the board, 4) why you would like to be considered for joining the board. Optional-You may also submit a one-to-two-minute video with your nomination. Our club bylaws state that nominees must have the endorsement of two other BLC members. That support may be a verbal message from the member to Jim Tenorio by phone at 715-556-3300, or an email message to him at his email address above. Nominations must be received by Jim Tenorio before Friday, August 22, 2025, at 12:00 noon. Elections will take place during the month of September via online ballot and conclude at the annual meeting. Looking forward to seeing you at the meeting! Stick around for the Birkie Trail Run on Saturday, September 27 Participate: Click on the link below for more information about the event: Birkie Trail Run Information and Sign up Volunteer for the Birkie Trail Run Volunteer: Click on the link below to help with the event:: Volunteer for the Birkie Trail Run

Birchleggings Club Disc Golf and Dinner Wrap Up

On Thursday, June 26, 2025, the Second Annual Birchleggings Club Disc Golf and Dinner was held at the Rosland Disc Golf Course in Edina, Minnesota. Paul Thompson, Birchleggings Club President, organized the event and provided this report.

It was a gray day with the threat of rain, but several participants showed up! Paul put on the event to introduce Disc Golf, that was started in 1974 as a World Championship sport, for Birkie skiers. There were six participants that included Gus Otto, MFA #001 and one of the founders of the MN Frisbee Association, which had their 50^th Anniversary on July 19, 2025.

The Rosland Disc Golf course at the Edina pool and surrounding park was a perfect place for an introduction to the game, as there are few hazards or out of bounds to contend with. All the new throwers showed great improvement through the 9 holes and 45–50 minutes of play.

The second part of the evening was a reserved dinner at the near-by Good Earth Restaurant (side note this is where Paul was working in 1979 when he skied his first Birkie and started his decades long campaign for supporting various causes, that year of ’79 The Hunger Project).

The six participants were joined by special guest and Disc Golf Hall of Fame member Tita Ugalde from Los Angeles CA, who was in town for the World Masters (40+) Disc Golf Championships with her playing partner, and ‘Lightnin Lyle’ Jensen another MFA founder and historian of all things flying disc related. The meal was enjoyed, and the conversation shifted from Frisbee to skiing and back to the games we loved as youth.

Thanks to all for an enjoyable gathering and sharing and combining three of Paul’s passions, skiing, Frisbee and bringing people together in community.