Curry Ridge Riders, Friends of Denali State Park

05/24/2026

As so many of us enjoy a longer weekend off work and obligations, let us never loose sight of the TRUE meaning of why we pause in this great country of ours to reflect upon the freedom given by those who gave ALL their freedom to us so we can enjoy this and every day.

05/24/2026

God love the Moore Family...they've done so much for the communities and now another slice of generous history just escaped us. 😔 But never forgotten ever for the contributions to make possible what we all enjoy today. 💖

Kandy Moore, co-founder of Moores' Mercantile (now Moores' Hardware and Building Supply), wife of Bob Moore, and mom to Doug and Mike Moore, lost her almost 5 year battle with cancer on Saturday May 16th.

Bob and Kandy celebrated 60 years of marriage in April of 2026. They had been wintering out in Arizona for many years, and summering in Talkeetna. She knew this was likely her last summer and she got her wish of passing in her own home. She went peacefully with family by her side.

Bob and Kandy purchased Carpenter's Hardware in 1981 in Talkeetna and operated in that location for seven years. In 1988 they built a new store near the Talkeetna Junction and relocated there. They sold the business to their sons in 2000 and supported the building of the store we currently operate out of.

Kandy was a tireless business owner and community volunteer. She was an active member and board member of the Talkeetna Chamber of Commerce and served in various board positions with the Y Community Council. Somehow she found time to volunteer for 25 years with the Talkeetna Ambulance Service where she worked her way up from EMT I to EMT III.

She provided guidance and advice for the operations of Moores' Hardware right up to the time of her death. In her retirement she enjoyed spending time with Bob, her friends, golf and playing poker. She loved and supported her six grandchildren, and 6 great grandchildren.

A memorial/celebration of life will be announced in the near future.

05/20/2026

Learn more about how you can help raise funds for community schools, churches and other nonprofit organizations. Our community rewards program makes it easy. Learn more about Fred Meyer Community Rewards.

05/15/2026

Very special memories of moments on the South Denali trails this past winter...it was a good one we won't soon forget 😉

05/07/2026

THANK YOU Jacque Drumm and the Jacque Drumm Fund managed by the Alaska Community Foundation for your generous donation of support of Curry Ridge Riders trail grooming work! This isn't the first donation from Jacque either; we so appreciate Jacque for all the helpful assistance he has extended toward the South Denali trails along with his continued financial support.

Governmental grooming funds do not cover a good chunk of the expense overhead required to maintain, repair and operate heavy mechanized equipment. Every donation no matter what, propels our ability fo overcome the obstacles that we may exceed your expectations. ❤️

04/25/2026

Curry Ridge Riders has grown tremendously to provide the kind of public service necessary you have come to expect of us and for the future of the South Denali Winter Trails!

Founded in 1996 as a 501c4 to advocate a need and volunteerism to maintain these trails across Borough and State public lands, we have grown into a 501c3 in 2018 purchasing the vehicles, tools and drags to do the job right. Fast forward to today, our heroic effort to provide a service fleet that of four completely rebuilt and working snowcats, three snow-grooming drags and an SUV with it's own smaller grooming drag. We sure have come a LONG way...but we are still without a headquarters building where we can fix, maintain and even store these machines. That's where the Matanuska-Susitna Borough came to our aid with a Conditional Use Permit for a small parcel of land near MP128 on the Parks Highway and next we must construct a climate-controlled place to make a stand to effect the necessary procedures for this equipment. The gravel, utility and gates are already installed under the skillful direction of Curry Ridge Riders, but to create a climate-controlled environment where we can fix and maintain needy machines will require funding to construct a small sheltered building with connex storage capabilities for tools and parts and other support equipment. That's where you come in....we in the process of applying for a foundation grant but a cash-match is required and every penny counts toward the goal to meet this need.

Please consider the difference your donation will make to enable our ability for the future of these ever-so-valuable winter trails that afford an oasis in an otherwise privatized southcentrail Alaska. Your donations are tax-deductible and a receipt can be provided upon request.

Fee free to reach out to us if you have any questions, suggestions or comments by calling our Telephone Hotline 907-689-7669 where we'll get back to you pronto. As well, you can drop us an email at: [email protected]

And THANK YOU for caring about the South Denali Winter Trails!

04/25/2026

All great Beginings start with a Great Ending! 🎬
And so it goes...we must end the 25-26 South Denali winter trail season on a safe note as our last groom was Chulitna Bluff Trail yesterday. Plenty of snow except creek ice-crossings might be ok for a 600lb snowmachine but not a 4000lb cat now 😯
Let's hear it for the Curry Ridge Riders Grooming Team and mechanics who really SHINED this winter! 👏 😎
How about your hero CRR Cat Operators: John Butcher and Jason Brett? Who could have never performed their magic without mechanical wizardry by the likes of Ron Lurk, JP Glenka, John Scudder and Patrick Merow. NOTHING can happen without them backing up these hungry mechanical monsters everyday. Thank you guys for being there on the Curry Ridge Riders trail to success.🫡
All backed up by perpetual behind-the-scenes provided by Jerry Siok, Secretary & Grant Manager and Michelle LaRose, Bean Counter, Grant Writer & Public Relations always "keeping it between the easements".

Curry Ridge Riders would ESPECIALLY recognize our benefactor game-changers this winter including but not limited to:
--Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities administrators for the SnowTrails grooming pool award program
--Matanuska-Susitna Borough Community Development Department for the Bed Tax Grooming Pool program + MP128 Conditional Use Permit for our new headquarters
--Three Bears Alaska Inc. for continuing generous support including our abiliity to access the South Denali trail system staging our equipment onsite and many other generousities to facilitate our community service
--Orion Construction Company for their assistance and support in countless ways
--Quantum Works LLC for equipment support we could not have done without, especially moving large, heavy fallen tree debris
--Moores' Hardware & Building Supply inc. for donation of equipment to assist preparation of the winter trails
--and the generous support for our annual meeting & BBQ March 28th by the likes of Three Bears Alaska Inc., Vitus Energy Trapper Creek, Team CC, AIH Alaska Industrial Hardware Inc. Wasilla, Hatcher Pass Polaris Wasilla and Willow, and Eagle River Polaris/ Arctic Cat LLC

Who could forget the insane fallen tree clearing volunteer-hours by Raydin Butcher after all those wild wind events in December and January? Or the extreme effort and ex*****on by John Scudder to manage the RTP Grant permanent trail signage and marker updates along the South Denali trail system particularly the past year? Or the hidden support by the likes of Debbie Lurk, Alison Merow, Alina Brett, Becky Butcher, Paula Glenka and Sue Siok who no doubt mirrored decision-making processes for Curry Ridge Riders in one way or the other everyday. 😉

Grooming pool funds never pay for all the expenses it takes to really care for the trail system properly and for these extra special generous donations made possible by the likes of the good people such as:
Evie Shields, Jaime Atherton, Joshua Richter, Anchorage Snowmobile Club, Inc., Jacque Drumm, George Branche III, Charles Barnett,
Calvin Hay and all you 2026 Annual Trailside Meeting & BBQ donors we say THANK YOU for boosting what we can do to make it even better! 🙌

But most of all, we have to thank the "Man Upstairs" 🧙‍♂️ for giving us the kind of winter we could remember. December into January started out windy and moist but by the end of January hopes were inspired with the dry Arctic blast and kind of snow that really "locked things up" in ice good so we could get on with it. And get on with it we did! The most trail grooming and management we have performed to date: over 800 cat-hours 😮 with a sense of pride that cannot be measured. 🤗 Quality care for a vital winter trail system to allows the freedom and healthy living in Alaska we need and hold dearly in a time of modernization, privitization and regulation making this resource ever so more valuable for you and us.
...and so.... the ending is the beginning. 📖 As Curry Ridge Riders moves into a new chapter for establishing a suitable headquarters by where we store, maintain and repair all this equipment necessary to perform your public service at the new MSB-leased land parcel at MP128, we look forward to the kind of continuing support from the community we serve. Won't you please consider ANY donation for the cash-match to meet the grant that is required to construct a new shelter large enough to work on the machines? Donations can be made via postal mail to: P.O. Box 13218, Trapper Creek 99683 (no fees) or Paypal as [email protected] or
https://givebutter.com/help-curry-ridge-riders-build-a-new-home-erl29e (see featured post also)

HAVE A GREAT SUMMER EVERYONE!! 🏖️ Just because our grooming season has ended doesn't mean our work will....we are plenty busy all year long with logistics, machines and manpower. We'll keep you posted from time to time about developments for Curry Ridge Riders as you would like to know about them. 👊

04/24/2026

04/18/2026

Today was special! 😯 Special Recognition plaques for selfless giving to the South Denali winter trails were announced March 28th at the Curry Ridge Riders Annual Trailside Meeting & BBQ and today 4/17, we caught up with MSB Community Development Department Admin.Specialist & Coordinator: 🏆 MARGIE COBB 🏆Recognized especially for a job "above-and-beyond" at a time of *tremendous* change for the MatSu Borough Bed Tax Winter Trail Program. She single-handedly facilitated detailed communications and even logistics for understanding between the grooming entities and inter-departmental offices this past winter keeping everyone on the same page at the same time! She has performed so many other admirable communications for the Community Development Department that we extend a warm Curry Ridge Riders hand for a JOB WELL DONE! 🤝 Thank you Margie Cobb 😊

~~CRR Treasurer Michelle LaRose (right) presenting plaque to Margie Cobb, MSB Admistrator (left)~~

04/17/2026

Operator John here, amazingly there is still great snow out there! We have been able to keep taking care of trails. Crossings on East west are pretty wet. CBT is holding good and creek crossings are still solid. Ice does rot from the bottom so exercise caution. Trapper Creek Winter Trail (aka "Rabbideaux") to the south has flooded swamps in stretches. ***REMINDER- Denali State Park is closing Monday***