NAUBINWAY, Mich. (AP) — A snowmobile museum in Michigan's Upper Peninsula is planning an expansion to house 33 historical snowmobiles donated by a museum in Quebec.
The Top of the Lake Snowmobile Museum in Naubinway expects to spend about $5,000 to transport the machines from the J. Armand Bombardier Museum in Valcourt, Quebec. Construction of a cold storage addition would cost another $40,000.
Changes at the Quebec museum required that it relinquish control of some of its exhibits, prompting it to consider Naubinway for the snowmobiles, The Evening News (https://bit.ly/1SgmBDK ) reported.
John Batchelder, a key volunteer behind the Naubinway museum's move to its current location in 2013, said he holds out hope that the Graymount Foundation will help offset some of the expansion costs. Officials would like work to begin as soon as funds are secured for the project, and Batchelder predicts the expansion will be finished sometime during the summer.
Batchelder said the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point "has been kind of our mentor," teaching those behind the Naubinway museum to change displays frequently.
"You live and learn," Batchelder said, "and you can't be afraid to grow and take a chance."
The Naubinway museum currently houses 122 snowmobiles. Construction won't interfere with the museum's regular operation, Batchelder said.
Information from: The Evening News, https://www.sooeveningnews.com
