Pictured (left to right): Darrel Scheers, ASA President; Francois Allard, Pierre Allard, Hayden Allard and Chris Brooks, ASA Executive Director
At the Annual Alberta Snowmobile Association Awards of Excellence banquet held on October 15 in Edmonton, the Allard Family from St. Isidore was recognized as the Alberta Snowmobile Family of the Year.
Brothers Francois and Pierre Allard along with Francois’s son Hayden have been supportive of the local Peace Valley Snow Riders (PVSR) club in many ways.
In 2013, they signed one of the first license agreements with the PVSR to allow the Baytex Wesley Creek Trail to cross their private land.
Significant involvement with the PVSR started in 2016/17. Allard Logging Ltd. helped clear the east end staging area for the Zavisha Smith Mills Trail. They also assist with removing vegetation from trails as well as with major projects. In addition, the Allards purchased a drag to groom the club’s trails and equipped side-by-sides with tracks to pull it. This was carried out primarily on a donation basis.
These contributions resulted in Francois being recognized as the Alberta Snowmobile Association Groomer of the Year in 2018.
Although the volunteer work and donations in-kind have contributed significantly to the overall success of the PVSR, there is more.
The PVSR have experienced significant membership growth in recent years with 246 annual trail pass/memberships and 33 day passes sold in 2021/22, many of which were the direct result of sales by the Allard family.
As well, Francois is currently Director/Trail Development Committee Chair for the club. Francois and Hayden fill the roles of Trail Coordinators for the Baytex Wesley Creek Trail, where Pierre is frequently seen working along side them. It is obvious from the participation by this family that snowmobiling is a lifelong passion, they are true ambassadors for the sport and deserving of this recognition.