CAMDEN — Jack Williams was around in 1936 when the Camden Snow Bowl went from an idea to reality, including construction of original lodge and the 400-foot-long wood toboggan chute that has been a draw to the town each winter since. And Williams is here still today.

On March 6, U.S. National Toboggan Committee chairman Holly S. Edwards and co-chairman Stuart Young visited with Williams to present him with copies of the 2017 official program and a special award commemorating his decades of dedication to the chute, maintaining it, making it possible for all ages to enjoy getting outside and enjoying winter, as well as his vision and continued support of the Toboggan National event.

The trophy is the same style given to racers, handmade by committee member Jim Jefferson of Knockabout Toys. The plaque on the trophy given to Williams reads:

A Grand Thank You

For your wisdom and dedication to the
Jack Williams Toboggan Chute.
Bringing a legacy of healthy competition
and winter activities to the State of Maine
for generations to come.

From the Town of Camden and all those
who have gone down the Chute.

Williams, who will be 90 years old in July, said: “This has really made the start of my week great. Thank you very much.”

In 1991, the Snow Bowl’s toboggan chute, the oldest wood toboggan chute with a run-out onto a frozen pond still operating in America, was dedicated and named “The Jack Williams Toboggan Chute.” A year earlier, Williams organized a “rebuilding committee” that included Dave Dickey, Bill Gilbert, Bob Oxton, Chris Lowe, Mort Strom, Hal Smith and Ken Bailey, among others.

With a vision to create an additional revenue stream for the Snow Bowl, Williams led the charge to approach the Ragged Mountain Recreation Committee to begin an annual festive event during the cold winter months. According to the records, Williams became one of the principal backbones of the event’s beginnings.

This year was the 27th consecutive year of the Toboggan Nationals. And while warm weather cut the event back twice to one day, and in 2016 the event had to be moved to the snow on the mountain instead of the ice in the chute, the Toboggan Nationals event has always been held, organizers have always made it possible for racers to compete and awards have always been handed out to the winners.

A complete accounting of the chute’s and the Tobbogan National’s history, and Williams’ role in it, can be read in a story in the 2017 U.S. National Toboggan Championships program, titled Jack Williams: The Godfather of the Chute.

The town of Camden and the Toboggan National Committee have made a promise to maintain the toboggan chute and keep it a “viable reality...for years to come,” and those words were echoed to Williams that Monday morning. “We promise.”