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"Where the history of snowmobiling comes to life"

Snowmobile the Mac and Educating Children The Top of The Lake Snowmobile Museum | Naubinway, Michigan
Upper Peninsula Antique & Vintage Snowmobiles
"Where the history of snowmobiling comes to life."
About Us
Welcome to the Top of the Lake Snowmobile Museum of Naubinway, Michigan.  We are a non-profit corporation with a 501c3 status.  With the help of many volunteers, various funds and donors, we have established an antique & vintage snowmobile museum in Naubinway, Michigan on the north side of Hwy US-2 across from the business district.

We currently hold 4 major antique snowmobile events annually that is suitable for the entire family:  The Annual Top of the Lake Snowmobile Show & Ride in Feb, the annual Swap Meet in Sept., the St. Ignace Snowmobile/Tractor Show and the Snowmobile the Mighty Mac in Dec.  Please visit our Featured Snowmobile Events page for more information.

The Museum Board is continuing to work on funding for our new building which is located on the north side of US 2 in Naubinway.  We have many projects that we would like to do, such as making displays, and finish paving the parking lot. All donations are tax-exempt and appreciated very much!

Our History - A Timeline on How We Got Started

  • 2003 The “ Show regulars” in the Naubinway, Michigan area talked about how to show antique snowmobiles inside a facility.
  • In April, 2006 we held our first organized meeting at the Kings Motel Spa Room.
  • Mackinac Co. EDC told us they may have some funds for this project.
  • Charlie Vallier volunteered to chair the group and several business people were at the meeting.
  • We held several meetings on how to form a non-profit organization, business plan, mission statement, and build a board of directors list.
  • Our name was chosen to stay cohesive with the Merchant’s Association theme of "Top of the Lake".  Our location is the most northern point of Lake Michigan.
  • The Top of the Lake Snowmobile Museum met with Tom Farnquist of the Shipwreck Museum, to encourage and inspire our group with his wisdom and business knowledge.
  • Began working in partnership with the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians on a new building, but that was not able to be completed. 
  • May, 2007 the old Laundromat, recently purchased by a local businessman, became available to us to use.
  • We spent 6 weeks renovating the building, utilizing all volunteer help and opened our establishment on July 4, 2007.
  • The Top of the Lake Snowmobile Museum opened with 62 sleds owned by nine people along with some interesting memorabilia.
  • The response was great!  After 6 years we had 82 sleds owned by 40 people, 9 donated to the museum, along with a wide variety of donated memorabilia.  We also had 6 sleds donated to the museum to use as raffle fundraisers.  All funds received from donated items at our fundraisers are then used for museum operation.
  • The Top of the Lake Snowmobile Museum advertised seeking funding for support of the new, larger building on US 2.  Our goals included: more displays, library available to visitors, and office space for the local Communities Association and the local Land of Echoes Tribal Elders.
  • Oct. 19, 2013 was the date we moved into the new building, on the north side of US 2 in Naubinway.
  • During 2017-2018 a 36' x 76' addition was built to accommodate the growing number of snowmobiles and memorabilia supplied to the museum.
  • Our current board consists of 10 members.
  • We are a 501c3, non-profit organization and are able to give a tax deductible receipt for all donations.
Top of the Lake Snowmobile Museum News Release-2023 On September 22, 2023 the Michigan Arts and Culture Council (MACC) in conjunction with the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) announced it would be generously awarding the Top of the Lake Snowmobile Museum in Naubinway an $8750 grant for operational support during 2024. MACC uses a peer review process to award grants. More than 700 organizations across the state applied for funding. Each grant application is competitively judged; awardees are chosen to ensure Michigan residents and visitors have access to the most authentic aspects of local arts and culture. Organizations receiving a grant award from MACC/NEA are required to match those funds with other public or private dollars. The Top of the Lake Snowmobile Museum receives a great deal of donated monetary support through its memberships and visitors and plans to use these funds to match the MACC grant award. There are 141 active museum members not including lifetime members and more than 7000 visitors just last year.

The museum has plans to bring more local art-related activities to our conference room and develop a program for groups with special needs. This support will go toward the cost of wages and advertising for these activities. On Sept 20, 2019, The Top of the Lake Snowmobile Museum was awarded a grant of $12,500 for Operational Support from the State of Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs (MCACA) and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA – ART WORKS). The grant was awarded through the MCACA peer review process and was one of 561 applications to compete for MCACA fiscal year 2019 funding. The grant requires a 1:1 match and helped the museum leverage the $12,500 of support from its annual income and the many donations from supporters. In particular the museum has received grants from the Graymont Community Economic Development Fund and the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. It has also received significant donations from the Antique Snowmobile Club of America, The Midwest Vintage Snowmobile Shows, Inc., many snowmobile clubs, several recreational and snowmobile shows, the museum’s internal $1,000.00 Challenge, and many museum members. The grant funds will be applied to museum operating costs. Applicable costs include internal operations, marketing, travel to shows within the State of Michigan and cost of employees. The MCACA peer review process allows for each grant applicant to be competitively considered by a panel of in-state and out-of-state arts and culture professionals. This ensures the taxpayers, who support this project through legislative appropriations, and all other visitors or residents in Michigan will have access to the highest quality arts and cultural experiences. A complete list of grant awards around the state is available by contacting MCACA at (517) 241-4011, or by visiting the MCACA website at www.michigan.gov/arts
Keep Up To Date info@snowmobilemuseum.com (906) 477-6298
NAUBINWAY WEATHER

Top of the Lake Snowmobile Museum
P.O. Box 2
W11660 US-2
Naubinway, MI 49762
Hours: 906 477-6298
Appointment: 906 477 6192

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