54th I-500 dedicated to original board member – Frank Talentino

The 54th running International Snowmobile Race was dedicated to one of the first-ever I-500 Snowmobile Race board members, 91-year-old Frank Talentino, who has dedicated his entire life to the Sault, its race track, and the surrounding area. 

"I don't want to take all the credit," Talentino said, recognizing everyone who has ever volunteered or donated to the 500-mile high-powered endurance race.

He sat down at the 'Twas the night before the I-500 banquet dinner with local and state officials on Friday evening, hosted by his daughter, Sault Ste. Marie Convention and Visitors Bureau executive director Linda Hoath.

Talentino was happy to tell his I-500 story. 

His buddies were out for a late morning brunch in 1967 when a 1968 Chevrolet Camaro glided by. It was a pace car for the Indianapolis 500.

They thought, “Could a snowmobile run 500 miles?” 

"We held that first meeting in a local drug store," Talentino said. "From there, we went to the Penthouse Restaurant on the top of Ashmun Hill. Each board member was skilled with expertise in different areas. We backed each other." 

The first I-500 board was comprised of Talentino, a local car dealer, a hardware store employee, an Army National Guard Officer, and the Sault Ste Marie Fire Department Chief. 

Talentino was the operations manager of Cloverland Electric Cooperative, with access to all of its equipment. He headed the track's electrical work.

"Cloverland's board of directors supported all of it," Talentino said, who served on the board at the time. "I put lights around the track for the riders. In order to have the first race, we raised money to get lights."

The general manager of Edison Sault Electric Company also got into the mix, but proper lighting would cost approximately $15,000.

"We visited the three major banks in town," Talentino said. "That's how we got our lights. I set all the poles on the track. Local sales dealers helped me set poles. Linemen from downstate came up on weekends to string wire."

Talentino said the entire Upper Peninsula, Canada included, volunteered and donated to the cause.

"In the beginning, we picked up whoever and whatever we could get our hand on... mechanics, everyone," Talentino said. "The whole thing was an effort with everyone kicking in. Working with no money was hard. Thank God for Army National Guard. If it had not been for them, we would have never got anything done."

The Army National Guard donated a lot of heavy equipment. 

So many people decided to help because the Sault was bare, and businesses were dwindling away.

"There was nothing here," Talentino said. "The economy was just bad."

But the idea that the city could be home to a huge snowmobile race provided hope.

"The first open I-500 meeting had 40 to 50 people," Talentino said. "Several thousand people came to that first race. Everyone sat on the edge of the bank for 12 hours." 

Talentino started working as a foreman for Cloverland Electric Cooperative at 18 years old. When his boss passed away, he was promoted to operations manager. Talentino was 33-years-old. He retired from Cloverland Electric after a 46-year-long career.

He was happily married to Frances Talentino for 72 years. Together, they raised five children: Howard Talentino, Linda Hoath, Terry Talentino, Debi Sherman, and Troy Talentino. They enjoyed the fun and love of many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. 

"My life has been so unbelievable," Talentino said. "My whole life has been invested in this community." 

The 54th running I-500 Snowmobile Race dedication to Talentino was read by Steve Brosco on the morning of Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023: 

"It’s with great honor that we dedicate the 54th running of the International-500 to one of our founders, Frank Talentino. In 1969 the first I-500 was completed thanks to the hard work of our original founding board members. Frank and his cohort worked around the clock to ensure their dream could become a reality, and it did. And it has grown exponentially into the prestigious race it is today. Frank made sure the lights were on during that first race on February 8, 1969 and now all these years later in 2023, our lights are still on thanks to the vision and commitment of the founding board members.

The I-500 has become a staple in not just Sault Ste. Marie, but in the surrounding communities in the Eastern Upper Peninsula. The founding board was able to gather support from our neighbors to help create this race and we couldn’t be more thankful. We offer our sincerest thanks to Frank and our original board for all they’ve done to create a race that has been ran for over half a century.