6th Annual Midwest Sled Dog Symposium, Sept 26-29, 2014
The 6th Annual Midwest Sled Dog Symposium will be held September 26-29, 2014 in Curtis, Michigan. The guest speaker will be Jeff King. For more information contact info@natureskennel.com
Posted in Uncategorized |Board Meeting Report, June 18, 2014
The UPSDA Board met on June 18, 2014 at 6pm. The board elected Pat Torreano as UPSDA President, Ron Hewson as UPSDA Vice-President, and appointed Pam Forsberg as UPSDA Secretary/Treasurer. Cathy Sleeter, retiring Trail Coordinator, was presented with a thank-you gift from the board. The board discussed job transition plans and written job descriptions for various positions. Lori Hennigan graciously agreed to allow Seamus to continue in his role as UPSDA Mascot Dog. 2015 will mark the 25th Anniversary of the UP200 and Midnight Run. Possible additional events to mark the anniversary were discussed. There will be no board meeting in July. The next meeting will be Saturday, August 16th, in Grand Marais, with lunch at the Stonehouse Bakery at 2:30pm and a meeting to follow.
Posted in Uncategorized |Thank You, Cathy and Terry Sleeter!
Board members, mushers, volunteers, and fans extend a heartfelt “THANK YOU!” to Cathy Sleeter, who has been the UPSDA Trail Coordinator and a Board member for many years. Her husband Terry, “Mr. Trail Boss”, has worked alongside Cathy and the race committee laying out trail, marking it with GPS coordinates, and working with landowners to obtain the necessary permissions to run a race. Their countless hours of work have made the UP200 and Midnight Run into two of the most-respected sled dog races in the country. Cathy is retiring from the Board and the Trail Coordinator position will be assumed by Mike and Angela Sjolund. Cathy and Terry, we wish you all the best! You’ll be greatly missed!
Posted in Uncategorized |Next UPSDA Meeting Date June 18th
The UPSDA Board will meet on Wednesday, June 18th, at 6:00pm at the Holiday Inn in Marquette. There will be no Board meeting in July.
Posted in Uncategorized |UPSDA Annual Meeting Report
Report from the UPSDA Annual Meeting on May 14th:
Kaylee Place, Pat Torreano, and Angela Sjolund were elected to three-year terms on the Board. The annual Income/Expense report was accepted. The Board decided that the main events for the race weekend in 2015 will remain at the YMCA, although some banquets may possibly be held at other venues. A letter of thanks to the Michigan State Police was read and approved, and will be sent. Cathy Sleeter, outgoing Trail Coordinator, gave suggestions for the 2015 races. Mike and Angela Sjolund will assume the Trail Coordinator position and Ross Anthony will be in charge of Start/Finish. The Board and members thank Cathy for her many years of work. The next meeting will be on June 18th (note it is a week later than usual) and there will be no meeting in July.
UPSDA Board Sets Race Dates for 2015 – 2020
The UPSDA Board has set the race dates for the next six years. The 2015 dates will be February 12-16, and the calendar to the right will be changed shortly. Upcoming years will see the races held on: Feb. 11-15, 2016; Feb. 16-20, 2017; Feb. 15-19, 2018; Feb. 14-18, 2019; and Feb. 13-16, 2020. This keeps the races close to the middle of the month.
Posted in Uncategorized |Remembering Todd Hennigan
It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of Todd Hennigan, our UPSDA Adopt-a-Musher Ambassador. Todd passed away on Sunday, March 23 at Marquette General Hospital. Todd and his mascot dogs Seamus and Banshee (deceased) were familiar figures around the UP as they visited schools, walked in parades, and shared their love of the sled dog races with everyone, especially schoolchildren. Expressions of sympathy and memorial donations can be sent to Todd’s wife, Lori Hennigan, via PO Box 15, Marquette, MI 49855. Donations may be made out to “UPSDA” or to “Lori Hennigan”. The entire UPSDA community extends our heartfelt condolences to Lori and the family.
Posted in Uncategorized |4H Club Wins Harvey Road Crossing Contest!
4H Club Heroica (which is short for Hero’s in Chicken Advocacy) won the $250 prize, sponsored by Trudell Plumbing and Heating, for the best decorated road crossing in Harvey. Nine of the Club members and some of their siblings helped decorate and volunteer at the road crossing. Their ages range from 8-10 years old and they all attend Sandy Knoll elementary school. A big congradualations goes out to this group for doing a great job decorating the crossing and winning the contest!
Posted in Uncategorized |Thank You, Volunteers!
The UPSDA extends a huge THANK YOU to all of the coordinators and volunteers who made our three races successful. From downtown Marquette to Harvey, Sand River, Chatham, Wetmore and Grand Marais, volunteers were there to get the teams in and out of the checkpoints and safely across the roads. Our volunteers ROCK!
And a very special THANK YOU to Kathy Morton of the Michigan State Police, the Au Train twp Fire Dept, the Alger County Sheriff’s dept, and Sawyer Community Watch for making M-28 and M-94 in Alger County safe crossings for our mushers and dogs.
Posted in Uncategorized |Pictures of the UP200 pre-race activities and Start
Photos taken on 2/14/2014 by Bruce Schlehuber
906-228-3072 (Pat Torreano) or 906-362-3785 (Ron Hewson)
Registration Inquiries: 906-869-2640 (Pam Forsberg)
PO Box 15 • Marquette, Michigan
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