FARMINGTON — There won’t be a lack of snow this year for the seventh annual Farmington Dog Sled Races this Saturday and Sunday.

“It’s either a feast or a famine,” said Joy Turner, who with husband, Mark, does much of the organizing for the Downeast Sled Dog Club.

Last year, the event was canceled due to a lack of snow as corn stalks littered the York fields on Route 2, east of Farmington, where the races are held.

“This year there’s almost too much,” she said.

Trails have been dragged and packed but Wednesday’s snow and a potential for a little more on Saturday will have organizers scurrying to prepare the trails for races on both Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Joy expects to go ahead with the event Saturday regardless of the weather.

“The start time depends on how many mushers register,” she said. “We’ll push a little faster on Sunday to finish early as it’s Super Bowl Sunday.”

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About 40 to 50 mushers and their teams of dogs are expected to participate in the family-oriented event.

“We hope people come outside, watch the races and try snowshoeing,” Turner said.

A group from the University of Maine at Farmington, Mainely Outdoors, will provide free snowshoe rentals during the event.

They can also talk with the mushers and ask questions.

“Most mushers are pretty friendly and excited to talk about their dogs. They are our pets. All have names but different personalities and abilities,” she said. Turner’s husband owns an eight-dog team, her son owns a six-dog team.

The timed races include six and four dog teams and an open class that can mean up to 18 dogs that make a 10-mile loop through the fields north to the Farmington Motel. Each dog can only participate in one race per day. After one event Saturday they have to wait to race in the same event again on Sunday. That’s why mushers have several dogs, she said.

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Turner has raised $1,500 through local stores and businesses to use as prize money, she said.

Another popular race and a fun one to watch is the skijor, where a person on skis is attached by a cord to one or two dogs and pulled through the race.

“They make it look easy,” she added.

There are one-dog and two-dog classes in skijoring and a recreational skijor on Saturday that’s timed but doesn’t include prizes or money. It’s for fun and so people can see how its done, she said.

A graphic art class taught by Charles Fontaine at Foster Technology Center has produced artistic posters, including photos, and the class is working on a brochure with a list of events, she said.

Saturday’s events end with a musher tug of war and on Sunday there’s an award banquet.

Spectators are welcome. There is no charge but donations are accepted to help with the parking attendants. There is a large, designated parking area at the site, she said.

abryant@sunjournal.com


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