January 31, 2022 at 2:00 p.m.
Heal Creek to host Dog Dash Feb. 26-27
Heal Creek to host Dog Dash Feb. 26-27
Baum said she and fellow local musher Pete Thompson started work on the event after Rhinelander Mayor Chris Frederickson reached out to her. Frederickson asked if it would be possible to hold a dogsled race at Heal Creek to highlight the recreational opportunities there.
"We were both like, well, probably, and we started looking into it," Baum said. "Pete and I are both working on it, and now it's happening."
The event will involve several classes of dogsleds, starting at 10 a.m. both Saturday and Sunday. Races will include a six-mile skijoring race as well as three classes of dogsleds. The two-dog sled mushers will compete on a two-mile track while the four-, six-, and eight-dog sleds will race a full six miles. There are also two junior classes, a two-dog and a three-dog, both of which will race a two-mile race. This class is open to kids age 16 and under.
The weekend will kick off with a musher's meeting at 9 a.m. on Saturday. All mushers are members of the Wisconsin Trailblazers Sled Dog Club, Baum said, but not all racers are from Wisconsin. While mushers do come from across the state, some come from as far away as Michigan and Missouri.
Races start at 9 a.m., with each class running separately. This gives spectators the perfect opportunity to meet the mushers and dogs from different classes throughout the day.
"In addition to the race, we are trying to make it a winter festival for the community, too," Baum said. "The race is kind of the attraction point to get people to come out and watch." In addition to the racing, she said, there will be snowshoeing going on, with rentals provided by Mel's Trading Post in Rhinelander, and kids can enjoy the sledding hill at the driving range near the finish line of the races.
Joe's Pasty Shop will be selling pasties, a Northwoods favorite, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. both days. Rhinelander Brewery will be selling beverages as well, with a specialty Musher's Brew created specifically for this race, Baum said. After the races on Saturday, there will also be live music for everyone to enjoy.
"In combination with the golf course, it's great because we have the clubhouse there," Baum said of the Heal Creek venue. "People can come in and warm up and get their food and have live music there, so that aspect is really great about it and with Lee Swank donating that 400 acres that adjoins the golf course there to expand those Heal Creek trails is really amazing."
The event, she said, will also highlight all of the trails on the property, which is close to Rhinelander, and could bring in more community-based events focused on the trails and building year-round activities there.
The event is free for the public to come and enjoy. The only costs involved, she said, would be food and beverages. The opportunity to meet the mushers and dogs, too, is likely to be a big draw. Baum said mushers only request that spectators ask permission before approaching or petting the dogs.
Many local sponsors have made the event possible. Baum said the hope was to create an annual festival giving people a reason to get out and enjoy the outdoors in and around the Heal Creek property.
More information about the Heal Creek Dog Dash and the accompanying Winter Fest can be found by searching Facebook. More information on the Wisconsin Trail Blazers Dog Club can be found on their website: https://witrailblazers.shutterfly.com.
Beckie Gaskill may be reached via email at [email protected].
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