News Flash!

The infamous Blue Hills Bill shut off his alarm and casually stretched. This year, it wouldn't take him long to dig out his front door.

Snowfall this winter hasn't been great, luckily just enough to keep him cozy during January's cold. After munching a quick breakfast, Bill started digging. Just in the nick of time, he crawled out of his burrow at 7:27 this morning and delivered his annual prognostication to downtown Bruce, WI. Unlike last year's sparsely attended event, there was a big crowd of boosters awaiting his presence.

Read on…

    Big snows on Bill's burrow,
     His sleep was so thorough;
      Then a night to remember,
       Tornadoes! December!

    Bill hunkered down deep,
     And focused on sleep;
      Cold winds came his way,
       And skiers did play.

    Alas winter's so short,
     Not nuff time to cavort;
      No shadow this morning,
       Snowmen take warning.

Comments from the crowd

• 2/2: I've heard the Blue Hills ski trails are in great shape. Gotta go check out Excelsior Road again! -Eau Claire, WI
• 2/2: Pull the kids out of school, let's head to the Hills. –Madison, WI
• 2/2: Bill says winter’s gonna disappear early. We'd better get our kicks while we can –Rice Lake, WI
• 2/2: Thanks for the advice, Bill. Just enough snow, so little time, never enough winter… –Winter, WI

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The annual fall banquet for the Blue Hills Trail Association, Inc. (BHTA) was held Saturday, November 7th at Lehman's Supper Club in Rice Lake. While bidding on the numerous silent auction items, this group of silent sports enthusiasts enjoyed camaraderie, libations, great food, and Dr. Bob Inman's dynamic slide show presentation ("Wolverine Biology and Conservation") describing ground-breaking work applying GPS tracking in the study of wolverines. The GPS technology that Dr. Inman and his wife applied for the first time to wolverines revealed the amazing capacity of the species to move through rugged terrain and the vast multi-state scale over which conservation of wolverines must occur. After a delicious buffet meal, master of ceremonies (Patty McGown) turned the floor over to BHTA vice president Ron Jasperson who summarized the many significant events impacting the Blue Hills Trail this past year, including: the huge number of volunteers helping throughout the year; the tremendous all-season usefulness of the 2014 John Deere Gator with Camoplast tracks purchased spring of 2014; and a very good ski season during the winter of 2014-15 that attracted more 'out-of-the-area' skiers than ever. Ron reported the trails are in good shape as we head toward winter, and noted that fundraising this fall has been very successful. He was pleased to note that the Blue Hills Trail Association, Inc. remains financially solid. To honor a few of our many volunteers, two special awards were presented: Patty McGown and Nels Curnow accepted the "2 Busy 2 Pee" traveling trophy (a porcelain urinal) honoring their numerous contributions of time and energy. Then Dave Olsen was honored for his many years maintaining the pit toilets - he received the golden clothespin award. Following Dr. Inman's presentation, prizes valued at more than $5000 were distributed to the attendees -- including Mark Bittner winning the raffle for the Spring Street Sports $250 gift card, and Erik Ostenso winning the raffle for the New Moon $250 gift card. Our many donors graciously give back to their communities -- when the opportunity arises, be sure to offer them a sincere thank you. Colder weather's overdue, get your skis ready!

It's cold outside, there's lots of snow on the ground, now's a good time to get psyched for skiing. Check out the following slide show video showing ten years of fun on the Blue Hills Trail. Get your skis waxed, come ski the Hills!‍

Grab a cup of coffee or hot chocolate, adjust your volume control, then sit back and follow the fun. See anyone you know?

The annual fall banquet for the Blue Hills Trail Association, Inc. (BHTA) was held Saturday, November 2nd at Lehman's Supper Club in Rice Lake. While bidding on the numerous silent auction items, the enthusiastic attendees enjoyed libations, great food, camaraderie, and a captivating wildlife presentation by DNR Naturalist - Chris Cold.

After a delicious buffet meal, master of ceremonies (Jerry Wilkes) turned the floor over to outgoing BHTA president Dick Pebler who summarized the many significant events impacting the Blue Hills Trail this past year, reporting the trails are in great shape as we head toward winter; and noting that fundraising this fall has been very successful. He was pleased to note that the Blue Hills Trail Association, Inc. remains financially solid. To honor just a few of our many volunteers, a special award was presented: Dick Pebler humbly passed along the "2 Busy 2 Pee" traveling trophy (a porcelain urinal) to Dave Olsen - honoring Dave's busy lifestyle. At that point, prizes valued at close to $7000 were distributed to the attendees -- including Dick Pebler winning the raffle for the Spring Street Sports $250 gift card, and Jeff Sirek winning the raffle for the New Moon $250 gift card. Our many donors graciously give back to their communities -- when the opportunity presents, be sure to offer them a sincere thank you. Pretty soon now, it'll be time to wax our skis!

The infamous Blue Hills Bill crawled out of his burrow this morning and delivered his annual prognostication to the awaiting crowd in downtown Bruce, Wisconsin.  Read on...

‍

Suffering delusions,

from weather confusion,

To his doctor did go

Blue Hills Bill;

‍For temperature tricks,

Doc offered a fix,

"You must swallow

this nasty big pill."

‍Shadow not missing,

Bill was heard hissing,

"Climate change means

it's time to adapt;‍

With snow in the Hills,

delay not your thrills,

Ski like crazy

'til you are tapped!"

‍

‍Comments from the crowd

• 2/2: I'm not wasting any time, heading to the Blue Hills right away! --Bruce, WI
• 2/2: Ski now or forever hold your skis. --Rice Lake, WI
• 2/2: Thanks for the advice, Bill.  Carpe diem! --Ladysmith, WI