CALUMET – From once being just another part of life to entire races, every year mushers meet in the quaint small town of Calumet, where they hitch their sleds to a team of dogs and hit the trail for the CopperDog 150. The race is coming up fast, and there are plenty of ways to get involved beyond watching and celebrating. The best way to get a part of the action is to volunteer for the race.

“So the volunteer training is from 11 to 1 in the Calumet School’s multi purpose room. 11 o’clock til 1, we’re gonna have indoor trianing for an hour. We’ll be going over hand signals for what to do at crossings, how to handle dog teams at the crossings. And then the last hour we’ll be outside. We’ll be actually dog handling. Tom Bower will have a couple of teams, and we’ll learn all about dog handling.” – Krissy Tepsa, CopperDog 150 Volunteer Director

The first run of the CopperDog was in 2009. Since then, it has drawn the attention teams across the Midwest and Canada.  Teams came from as far as South Africa team in 2011 and 2012. There are a three race classes, the longest is 150-miles, a mid-level race at 80-miles and a 25-mile race. Calumet will host the start of the race. And Eagle Harbor will host the finish line.

“20 minutes after the start finishes, we’ll have fireworks and there will also be a block party. So we’ll have a couple of food vendors, and some fun entertainment. There’ll be live music, bonfires. That’s on 5th Street. One of the side streets behind us here. You know the communities they really come together. Phoenix is really stepping up. The bar there, that we’re going to be finishing at, they’re really stepping up to the plate this year. It’s really nice to see Copper Harbor and Eagle Harbor all getting involved. So many people come out just to help and it’s nice to see everybody in these communities come together.” – Krissy Tepsa, CopperDog 150 Volunteer Director

The CopperDog’s goal is to promote the vibrant small towns along their route. And the event has a critical need for volunteers. Those who do volunteer with the race are helping with the starting line, road crossing and more. Residents are invited to a volunteer training at Calumet High School this weekend. It begins at 11 a.m. on Saturday. If you want to sign up to become a volunteer for this year’s race, register online at copperdog150.com.

CopperDog 150 Volunteer registration

Volunteer information

CopperDog Race News

CopperDog Race Weekend Schedule