With a new batch of snow hitting the region this week, county snowmobile owners may be feeling the itch to break out their vehicles and blaze their way through some local trails.

Children who want to join in the fun will need to learn the rules of the snow first, though.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office is hosting a free snowmobile safety course from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, Jan. 28, at the county 911 center, located next to the county annex at 130 Broadway St., Cassopolis. Aimed at children and teenagers between the ages 12 to 17, the course will be instructed by deputy Tim Schurr, who will go over some basics on how to safely operate a snowmobile as well as discuss state snowmobile laws.

The lessons will be capped off with a short test. Those who pass the examination will be issued a valid snowmobile safety certificate.

According to Michigan law, children between the ages of 12 and 17 are required to possess a snowmobile safety certificate before they are allowed to use their vehicles on any state designated trails, highways or other public property without supervision by someone 21 or older. People older than 17 are allowed to operate a snowmobile on public property with a valid drivers license.

Although the safety certificate is only required for young operators, all are invited to join the upcoming class, said Undersheriff Clinton Roach.

“We get a lot of parents who stay and listen [to the class],” Roach said. “They are allowed to participate and take the test themselves at the end, if they choose to.”

The sheriff’s office has offered snowmobile safety courses for decades, Roach said. Typically hosted in January, the courses usually draw-in a class of 25 people or more, around the maximum the 911 center can house, Roach said.

“We try not to turn anyone away,” he said. “It is just a matter of having enough room to teach.”

Cass County is a hot spot for area snowmobile enthusiasts, with several trails running through the county, the most popular of which is the system that runs through the Edwardsburg/Niles area, stretching from the Indiana border up into Berrien and Van Buren counties, Roach said.

Although snowmobile accidents in the county are rare, Roach recommends interested residents check out the safety course later this month.

“It is a good learning tool to stay safe, to know the right things to do and to keep yourself out of trouble,” Roach said.