Copper Country residents ready for the CopperDog 150

The big race is finally here.

Downtown Calumet will be the site of the start of the CopperDog 150 dog sled race Friday night.  The trail will take mushers from Calumet to Eagle Harbor, then from Eagle Harbor to Copper Harbor.  The final leg of the race is from Copper Harbor back to Calumet Sunday afternoon.

Opening ceremonies start at 6:30 p.m., with the race scheduled to start at 7 p.m.

Assistant Race Director Kim Pici said the popularity of the CopperDog gets bigger every year.

“The mushers this year that are coming, go to the website. We’ve got some elite people coming. The competition is going to be extremely close this year,” she said.

Thanks to the structure of the race, dog sled enthusiasts can meet the mushers and their teams at each stop.

What brings the mushers back every year?

“Word of mouth. This musher community knows that the CopperDog 150 is becoming one of the most respected and most attended races in the lower 48 states,” Pici said.

There will be many other events going on throughout the weekend as well, like the first-ever doghouse race.  Many of the businesses in downtown Calumet will also be open and will feature special deals exclusive the CopperDog race.

For a detailed schedule of the events going on all weekend, visit the CopperDog 150 website.