Off to the Races: Tis the season for dogs and sleds, so mark your calendars and put "Watch a sled dog race" on your 2023 to-do list. You'll get an opportunity this weekend in northern Minnesota with the Gunflint Mail Run. The route takes the 30 mushers along the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and is done in two legs with a mandatory layover. There are two classes: 12-dog teams that usually run a 110-mile race, but due to trail conditions will go 80 miles this year, and an 8-dog, 70-mile run. Other races for save-the-date notes are the UP200, Midnight Run, and Jack Pine 30 in Michigan (Feb. 16-20) or the Northern Pines Sled Dog Race in Iron River, Wis. (Feb. 18).
Meanwhile, the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon hits the trail at the end of this month (Jan. 29-Feb. 1). Established in 1980, the Beargrease, named for an Ojibwe mail carrier who delivered some of his route by sled, is the longest running sled dog race in the lower 48 states. World class mushers participate, since it's a qualifier for the famed Iditarod in Alaska. Beside the full run from Duluth to Grand Portage, other races include the Beargrease 120, a mid-distance race, the Beargrease 40, a recreational class race and the Cub Run, a short loop for kids to get their chance behind a two-dog team. The marathon week includes tons of fun, including that Cub Run for kids at Lakeview National Golf Course, Two Harbors, on Jan. 21 and the Cutest Puppy Contest at the Fitger's complex in Duluth on Jan. 28, the day before the marathon start. You can register for both online. There's an opening ceremony Jan. 28 at Black Bear Casino Resort in Carlton and the actual marathon beginning at Billy's Bar in Duluth (you can park at the University of Minnesota Duluth and take a shuttle). More details as we get closer to the weekend, but for those of you who want to volunteer – and many are needed – you can sign up online.
To the Moon: A representation of Duluth artist Kelly Schamberger's work will be winging its way to a moon landing in the future, thanks to its award in the 16th International Art Renewal Center Salon Competition for contemporary realism. Kelly's oil painting, “Once Upon a Childhood,” earned the honor and as part of the award will be laser-etched on nickel microfiche or digitized on memory cards and will be sent to permanently to the moon in the “Polaris Collection” of the Lunar Codex time capsule, launched by SpaceX for a NASA-related mission this fall. “I entered this competition based solely on the fact that any award-winning works would be sent to the moon. Space completely fascinates me and I thought that this might be an astonishing once-in-a-lifetime honor… but never in a million years did I believe or expect that I would actually be awarded," the artist says. In addition, Fashion Week San Diego has assigned a clothing designer to use the painting as inspiration for a couture outfit. which will be modeled in a special fashion show at Sotheby’s New York International Auction House on July 22. Kelly says the piece was inspired, and dedicated to, the memory of her Uncle William Rager, who died of kidney disease in 2020. "When someone passes away, we begin to remember all the things... the little flashes of memory tucked neatly away in the back of the mind... the majestic ship on the shelf, the lightning bugs twinkling around in the warm Indiana sky... all the things. My Uncle Bill left me with a whole lot of beautiful memories, really joyful snapshots of a childhood where riding on the back of his motorcycle and picking green beans on the farm were the highlight of long car trips to visit Bebe and Grandpa. And all of those sweet memories were wrapped neatly in my heart until March of 2020. I thought I had dreamed of the ship. I only remember going inside my uncle's house once; we always went on adventures elsewhere. But when my aunt asked about distributing possessions and I saw "ships" on the list, I knew there was one thing I really wanted. I didn't know then that he built each one, assembling thousands of tiny pieces in painstaking accuracy. As I painted this, I saw all the tiny knots, the perfectly assembled miniature wooden planks, the labor of love. I thought about all the hours invested, the obsession it would take to build not one, but many, of these ships that filled his home. I wondered about his life, all the things I never knew about him, and meditated on the memories of an amazing uncle who took me to magical places. This painting was hard to paint, many tears, many memories, many breaks to collect myself so as not to worry my studio mates... but in the end, it is a painting filled with all the love of my heart, all the joy of my mind, and all of the gratitude in the world for a person who meant so much to me." You can visit an online gallery of Kelly's work.
We can help Kelly with one more honor in the competition – from now until Monday (Jan. 9), people can vote for “Once Upon a Childhood" in the People's Choice Award.
A Good Run: Thirteen turned out to be lucky for former Thunder Bay resident Ray Lalonde, who took home 13 wins on the popular TV game show Jeopardy before being narrowly defeated in the program that aired this week. Gary Rinne of TBnewswatch wrote that the 60-year-old former resident earned $390,000 (US) and the chance to compete in the Tournament of Champions this fall. "It's been lovely," Ray told Gary. "I've still got family up there, and people I'm still in contact with. I'm hearing 'They're mentioning you every night on the news.' That's great. Thunder Bay is where I grew up ... and I've got many, many fond memories there." Enjoy the full interview online.
Make Plans: Here are a few events coming up soon to put on a fun-do list:
Michigan
Friday-Sunday, Jan. 6-8: The Michigan Tech Huskies in Houghton are upping their snow statue prowess ahead of the February Winter Carnival with a workshop this weekend presented by Sculptora Borealis, winners of the national 2022 Snow Sculpting Championship. The public is welcome to watch the on-campus sessions, which begin on the patio at Michigan Technological University's JR Van Pelt and Opie Library at 6-8 p.m. Friday, continuing all day Saturday (except lunchtime), and a Sunday session is tentatively set for 9 a.m.-1 p.m. The workshop with the Wisconsin-based sculpting group, which has won two national championships in a row, is sponsored by Michigan Tech’s Blue Key Honor Society. Look for the new skills to be in place for the Feb. 8-11 Winter Carnival and snow sculpting competition on campus. (This year's sculpting theme will be Tasty Foods for Wintry Moods.)
Thru March 11: Two- and four-wheel vehicles + an icy track = exciting action at the annual Upper Michigan Ice Races in Gwinn. The races for adults and kids on motor bikes and quads take place every Saturday in winter.
Minnesota
Friday-Saturday, Jan. 6-7: Lutsen Mountains hosts its 6th annual Ski Party – a weekend-long ski, snowboard and music festival curated by the folks at GNDWIRE Records. "It's a throwback to a time when skiing was cool and sexy. It's a look forward to new music and a modern mountain resort. But mostly, it's a party - friends new and old hangin' on the slopes, in the chalets and enjoying great music," promise organizers.
Friday-Saturday, Jan. 6-7: Banff Mountain Film Festival's world tour makes a stop this weekend in Duluth at the DECC Symphony Hall. This stop on the World Tour is hosted by the Duluth Cross Country Ski Club.
Sunday, Jan. 8: Glensheen shows off its final look at Christmas elegance during its free Community Day from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. The event features free self-guided tours on the final day before the halls of the historic mansion get "undecked." Grounds access will also be available for free and guests are encouraged to tour the outdoor Spirit of the Lights light display throughout the day. "Not only can you experience refreshed decorations and themed rooms featuring 27 total trees," according to the Glensheen page, "but we are also hiding 25 elves throughout the mansion to find as you take your tour. The sneaky elves like to hide in funny places throughout the mansion, making for a great scavenger hunt for guests of all ages."
Monday, Jan. 9: Two-time Grandma’s Marathon champion Dick Beardsley will be the keynote speaker at Gearing Up for Grandma’s on Monday at The Garden in Canal Park. The event, presented by Essentia Health, is intended to inspire and prepare runners for the upcoming training cycle leading into the 2023 Grandma’s Marathon race weekend. Beardsley, who was the longtime event record holder and now returns each year to work with the race broadcast team, will deliver the keynote address at this year’s event, and he will also be available to sign autographs and take photos. Doors open at 5:15 p.m.
Wisconsin
Saturdays, Jan. 7 & 11: The North End Classic Snowshoe Race gets underway from 9 a.m.-noon at the North End Trailhead. Hosted by the North End Ski Club in Cable, the annual event features 5k and 10k options. Or maybe the North End Classic Ski Race is more your style. That one will be 6 p.m. on Feb. 11.
Saturday, Jan. 7: Fairlawn's Old Fashioned Christmas wraps this Saturday at the mansion in Superior. Take a self-guided tour through the elaborately decorated historic home and enjoy holiday treats, live music and kids activities. Open 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 10: The 13th Winter Tony Woiak History Festival will feature a presentation of "Gikinoo’ amaadiwin - We Gain Knowledge," an Emmy-winning PBS Documentary presented by Lorraine Norrgard and Marvin Defoe. The documentary, narrated by Winona LaDuke and produced/directed by Lorraine Norrgard, describes the traditional ways of education in Ojibwe communities before European contact by highlighting the role of elders before European contact. This is the first in a series of history talks every other Tuesday, all at 7 p.m. in the Harbor View Event Center in Washburn.
Ontario
Sundays thru March 19: Winter FunDays are back at the Thunder Bay waterfront, starting this Sunday (Jan. 8) with "Outdoor Snow Sculpting, A Field of Mini Snow-Folk with Community Arts and Heritage Education Project." Create and paint community-made mini-snow folk using snow and food colouring at Marina Park, the Green Lawn area across from the Prince Arthurs Landing skating rink. Find the full winter schedule online.
Sunday, Jan. 9: Catch the action on the ice at the GFL Memorial Gardens in Sault Ste. Marie when the Soo Greyhounds Hockey Club takes on the London Knights starting at 2 p.m.
Photo & graphic credits: Gunflint Mail Run; Amber Nichols/John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon; John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon; image of "Once Upon a Childhood" by Mitch Rossow Fine Art Photography; portrait of Kelly by Michelle Bennett/Wolfskull Creative;Jeopardy/Twitter; Sculptora Borealis/North End Ski Club/Winter FunDays