Monthly Archives: January 2015

Vintage Snowmobile Show and Parade

Rickward’s Fourth Annual Vintage Snowmobile Show

 

vintage snowmobile showIn a land with as much snow as Canada, and Central Ontario in particular, it’s no wonder snowmobiles have become a staple of the winter landscape. Snowmobiles rugged enough for life in Central Ontario started to be available to the public in the mid-1900’s when other forms of transportation were ill-suited to the geography and winter conditions in the Almaguin Highlands.

Life in more northern, remote parts of Canada changed greatly with the arrival of stable and reliable snowmobile technology. Snowmobiles replaced dog sled teams in many instances because people believed they required less care, were cheaper to maintain, and were faster than dog sledding. Today, when in many places dog sledding has become a sport, rather than a common form of winter transportation, snowmobiles and snowmobile trail groomers play a significant role in the creation and maintenance of dog sled trails and race courses. The two are forever linked.

Starting in the 1960’s, snowmobiles were certainly popular in the Kearney area. Without the incredible provincial trail system that exists today, residents couldn’t travel hundreds of miles, they had to make their own trails, and travel would have been slower and more local … a family outing or perhaps some ice fishing. Local resident and school bus driver, Charlie Gilchrist was known to bring the kids from the Clam Lake area of Bethune Township to school in town on days when the roads were impassable on a sleigh behind his Ski-Doo.  Children today might not be so excited about missing out on a snow day, but it was a real treat then.  Snowmobiles would and still are used locally by trappers and those prospecting for forestry or mining operations, alongside recreational pursuits.

HarveyBronze Sponsor and Verna Rickward first opened their doors to what is now known as Rickward’s Small Motors in 1966, and three generations of Rickward’s have been supplying the Kearney area with all of their snowmobiling needs ever since. To celebrate some local heritage, and the glory days of a few generations, Rickward’s will be hosting their fourth annual Vintage Snowmobile Show and Open House at 1914 Hwy 518E, Kearney, between 11AM and 2PM, Saturday February 7th. This will be followed by a Vintage Snowmobile Parade from the shop, across Hassard Lake to McManus Beach and in towards downtown Kearney.

For details or to register, contact Rickward’s at gocanoe@canoealgonquin.com or by calling (705) 636-5956.
The parade route is shown in the following map.

 


Race Weekend layout Downtown

Dog Sled Race Changes for 2015

You will notice some changes in downtown Kearney this year if you are a returning musher or spectator to the Dog Sled Races in February 2015…

  1. Main St in Downtown Kearney, between Lakeview and the LCBO at Rain Lake Rd will be closed to vehicular traffic during the weekend, as it will become the Sprint Dog Yard
  2. The Mid-distance Dog Yard will be relocated to the top portion of the empty lot at the corner of Main St and Rain Lake Rd
  3. **The Ski-jorers will parallel park along Lakeview Ave to be closer to the action than they have been in recent years
  4. The Kearney Community Centre (KCC) parking lot will house the Outdoor BBQ, but will otherwise be available for spectator parking (volunteer parking will still be located behind Fetterley’s Garage).  Please respect identified wheel chair parking spaces near the main doors.
  5. **The Chain Saw Carving demonstration will be near the KCC, in front of 15 Main St
  6. The Start Line has moved farther downtown, across the street from the LCBO, near the Town dock and the races will finish on the empty lot opposite this, with the teams turning down off the Seguin Snowmobile Trail behind the Kearney General Store
  7. The Kids Activities will be located at the northeast corner of Rain Lake Rd and King William St, just a little past the Mid-distance Dog  Yard
  8. New this year, an Igloo building demonstration will be taking place in the churchyard of the old Anglican Church, now Nostalgia Antiques, at the northwest corner of Rain Lake Rd and King William St
  9. Inside the KCC, you will still find the Gee Haw Café, Silent Auction, Souvenirs table, Chain Saw Carving Raffle tickets, and our Market Place Vendors.

 

Online Payment Option

Online Payment Option for Musher Registration

 

Starting on January 23rd 2015, we added an online payment option to our musher registration form. This allows mushers to register online and pay through PayPal or their credit card.  In the past Mushers had to mail in their registration payment or show up in person Friday evening to ensure placement in the bib draw which is made Friday evening at 8pm.  

By paying online (or mailing in their cheque) mushers are now able to register and be placed in the bib draw with out having to show up early on Friday evening.  Mushers who register in person can still register until 8am on the Saturday of race day but they will be placed after the mushers who were in the bib draw Friday evening.

Louise was actually our first musher to make her registration payment online using our new online payment form.  We asked Louise what she though of the online payment option and she had the following comment. 

I love the online registration! This is much more efficient than filling out the paperwork and hoping it gets there in time. I also like how you personalize with a little bit of a story.

 

Online Payment Option for Musher Registration

 

 

Question & Answer

Like other mushers before her we also asked Louise to share a little bit about her story and why she has entered the Kearney Dog Sled Races, here’s what she had to share.  Louise has entered the 1 dog Ski-joring event at this years Kearney Dog Sled Races.

How many years have you been running dogs?

I’ve been Skijoring for 6 years now.

Tell us about your dogs? How many do you have etc?

I have one dog, a border collie named Lily – obviously a family pet!

What do you love most about running sled dogs?

The Kearney Race is what got me into ski-joring. I love the thrill of skiing in the woods, in collaboration with a dog.

How did your dogs get their names?

Not that exciting: the breeder had already chosen that name and we chose to keep it.

List recent sled dog races and/or best performances

Well, we have come 2nd in the 1-dog ski-joring at Kearney for 5 years in a row. I don’t expect that will change…

What years have you competed in the Kearney Dog Sled Races?

I’ve competed at the Kearney Dog Sled Races 5 times, this will be the 6th

 

If you too are interested in entering the Kearney Dog Sled Races for our 10 Dog Stage Race, 6 Dog & 4 Dog Sprint Races, the 1 Dog or 2 Dog Ski-joring events or even maybe the Kid & Mutt Races you can do so by clicking the link below to register (and now optionally pay) online.

Musher Registration

 

Q) What if I don’t want to pay online

A) No problem just choose “” on the form vs “

Q) Can I still pay if I don’t have a creditcard?

A) Yes PayPal can work with your bank account / debit card or you can still pay in person or mail in a cheque.

Q) If I pay online or mail in my cheque do I have to show up on Friday evening for the Bib Draw.

A) As long as we have received your payment you will be entered in the Bib Draw on Friday Evening.

Q) What’s the absolute latest I can register for the Kearney Dog Sled Races.

A) Final registration cut off is Saturday Morning at 8am, but registering late will mean you will race after everyone who was entered in the Bib Draw.

 

If you have other questions please contact us directly or comment below.

10 Dog Stage Race Course

The 10 Dog Stage Race Course has now been finalized

10 dog stage race

After a very damp fall, winter has arrived and frozen all the wet ground enough that our Trails Team has finally been able to get out to check on the trails! Using the feedback from previous races, and their knowledge of the area around Kearney, the men have come up with a new trail system for our mid-distance 10 Dog Stage Race course and everything looks great!

The new 10 Dog Stage Race course begins and ends in downtown Kearney, as all our races do, with 4 miles of existing snow mobile trail. After this, however, the fully GPS’d 45 mile course leaves the snowmobile trails behind for mostly unused logging roads and ATV trails. There is a short section where the teams will run on Rain Lake Rd, out towards Algonquin Park, before heading back in to the beautiful woods throughout this area. The men on the Trails Team have boasted that this is the best course we’ve ever had, with gorgeous scenery and enough hills and curves to make it challenging.

Mid-distance Mushers will be glad to hear that the dangerous, hilly, crooked section of snowmobile trail B101, including the Bear Creek Gorge and some rather narrow bridges that were a part of the 120 mile overnight course used during the 2014 Races, has been eliminated entirely from this year’s course.

As of January 15th, the entire course had been fully groomed 6 times, and we will continue to groom it from now until Race Weekend to ensure it’s in great shape for the races.

Thank you to our 10 Dog Stage Race Sponsor Moore Propane.

10 Dog Stage Race Course Map

stage race course

Visit the 10 Dog Stage Race Page  •  View this map in interactive Google Maps

Win a Chain Saw Carving

Buy a Raffle Ticket to Win a Chain Saw Carving

win a chainsaw carvingLike so many other inventions, modern chain saws were first designed with an entirely different purpose in mind. In the 18th century, the concept of the chain saw was developed for surgical purposes, to aid doctors in cutting bone without causing as much damage to the surrounding tissue as conventional methods at the time. The modern, portable chain saw was designed and introduced to the logging industry in Germany in 1925 where its worth was quickly established. It continues as the fundamental tool in the logging industry to this day.

Chain saw carving likely started shortly after chain saws themselves arrived in logging camps. However, while the oldest records of chain saw carvers begins in the 1950’s, as an art form, it really didn’t begin to gather momentum until the early 1980’s when it was first introduced at the Lumberjack World Championships.

Generally considered a performance art because of the noise, sawdust and quick carving results, chain saw carving is very entertaining to watch, with carvings created in both a remarkable variation of size and topic. Chain saw carvings can range from comic garden talismans, to functional furniture, to stunning works of art.

For several years now, the Kearney Dog Sled Races (KDSR) has welcomed Steven Nicholson from Deadwood Carving to demonstrate the art of Chain Saw Carving, and display some of his work on Race Weekend.  Steven will be back again, but this year we’ve added a twist!  On February 7th, Steven will be starting two chain saw carvings that spectators and participants alike can attempt to win!  There are three permanent carvings in town that Steven has made, two carvings of bears are located at the Community Centre, and the third, a magnificent bench that Steven started at the 2014 Races, is located very near this year’s starting line.   The carvings you could win will be smaller than these rather large examples of Steven’s abilities, but please check them out and drop in to watch as Steven gets started on this years projects.

While we don’t yet know what Steven has in mind to create, tickets will go on sale Race Weekend for $2 each, or 3 for $5, and will continue to be sold during the year by the Kearney Seniors Club and KDSR committee members. The winners of these two fantastic pieces of art will be drawn Sunday August 2, 2015 at 8:30PM before the Fireworks Display begins at the Kearney Regatta.  Good luck!

Please check back on our social media channels over the weekend for updated pictures as work on the carvings proceed.

  

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Sprint Race Registration – Raven’s Adventures

Today’s feature musher is Gail from Ravens Adventures.  Gail travels from the Cochrane, Ontario area to attend the Kearney Dog Sled Races and enter the Sprint Race. 

Ravens Adventure

Above photo is Kearney 2013, photo by Hughes Photography


 

Question & Answer

How many years have you been running dogs?

Ten plus years

Tell us about your dogs? How many do you have etc?

We have 29 dogs that are mostly Border Collies, Huskies & Alaskan Huskies.  Many have been rescues.  We started with just a few for recreational sledding and racing, trained with some in agility, competed in disc dog trials and a few have even been employed as nuisance goose control dogs.   Recently we have expanded and have a new touring business we call Ravens Adventures.

Ravens Adventures Facebook Page

What do you love most about running sled dogs?

Everything!  The dogs, the quiet peacefulness out on the trails and the speed & thrill of a fast run.

How did your dogs get their names? / How do you choose names?

Some of their names were chosen based on a theme, others were already named when they arrived.

List recent sled dog races and/or best performances

For several years we have attended the Kearney Dogsled Races, Haliburton Highlands Dogsled Derby, Cannington Dogsled Races, Marmora Sno-Fest, Apsley Winter Carnival.

What years have you competed in the Kearney Dog Sled Races?

We have attended the Kearney Dog Sled Races every year since about 2004.

 

Read more about the Kearney Dog Sled Races sprint races on our Race Routes page.

 

Keeping Warm in the Winter

Fern Glen Inn Bed and Breakfast is renown for their great outdoor adventures no mater want season it is.  Recently they wrote a blog posting about how to stay warm in the winter.  It has some great tips that I’m sure you’ll appreciate when you come to the Kearney Dog Sled Races.  Check out Jackie’s Blog below and be sure to click on “Read More” at the bottom to read the entire article on the Fern Glen Inn Blog.

 


Secret to Winter Happiness

I have discovered the secret to a happy winter, and it can be summed up in just two words: fleece longjohns. (Or should that be three words?)

Actually, any kind of thermal underwear will do, but I find fleece is particularly high on the happiness scale. There’s something about the feel of the soft, fuzzy fabric against bare skin that signals pure contentment. Perhaps it echoes the secure, snuggly nature of childhood pyjamas. In any case, fleece longjohns (or FLJ’s, as I like to call them) are my new favourite winter gear.

If fleece isn’t your thing, there are all sorts of light- and mid-weight base layers available in a variety of natural and synthetic fabrics. Choose something with warmth in mind but also in a fabric that will breathe and will wick moisture away from your skin. This means NO COTTON! Cotton kills, as the saying goes, because it absorbs moisture, holding it against your skin and leaving you clammy and chilled.

An extra layer of warmth means you can make the most of winter. People know to dress in layers for activities such as snowshoeing, skiing, and tobogganning; but for winter happiness all season long, don’t just don your FLJ’s (or other thermal underwear) when you’re going out to play. They’ll also keep you warm and comfortable as you go about your regular day… waiting for public transit, traversing a mall parking lot, walking the dog.

[ Read More ]

The Fern Glen Inn is one of many local accommodations that you may consider when visiting for the Kearney Dog Sled Weekend, or any other weekend.   (Fern Glen Inn Website)

Visit the Visitor section on our website for more information about local accommodations, restaurants and attractions.  Or one of these local tourism information providers.

 

Winter Warm

Fern Glen Inn

Ski-joring at the Kearney Dog Sled Races

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The Kearney Dog Sled Races offer several different race categories for participating mushers… and ski-jorers.  Not only are there Sprint Races (the 4 and 6 dog sprint races), the two day 10 Dog Stage Race and even a fun race for junior mushers with the Kid and Mutt races but there’s also feature Ski-joring Races. 

 

What is Ski-joring you ask?

From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skijoring

Skijoring (pronounced /ˈskʃɜrɪŋ/) is a winter sport where a person on skis is pulled by a horse, a dog (or dogs) or a motor vehicle. It is derived from the Norwegian word skikjøring meaning ski driving.

 

Dog skijoring

Skijoring with a dog is a sport in which a dog (or dogs) assist a cross-country skier. One to three dogs are commonly used. The cross-country skier provides power with skis and poles, and the dog adds additional power by running and pulling. The skier wears a skijoring harness, the dog wears a sled dog harness, and the two are connected by a length of rope. There are no reins or other signaling devices to control the dog; the dog must be motivated by its own desire to run, and respond to the owner’s voice for direction.

Many breeds of dog participate in skijoring. The only prerequisite is a desire to run down a trail and pull, which is innate in many dogs. Small dogs (less than 35 pounds) are rarely seen skijoring, because they do not greatly assist the skier; however, since the skier can provide as much power as is required to travel, any enthusiastic dog can participate. Athletic dogs such as Pointers, Setters and herding breeds take to skijoring with glee, as do the northern breeds, such as Siberian and Alaskan Huskies, Malamutes, Samoyeds, and Inuit dogs; however, any large energetic dog is capable of enjoying this sport. Golden Retrievers, Giant Schnauzers, Labs, and many cross-breeds are seen in harness. Pulling breeds work well also such as American Bull Terriers, Staffordshire Terriers, American bull dogs, and mastiffs.

The sport is practiced recreationally and competitively, both for long distance travel and for short (sprint) distances.

 

Visitors

The Kearney Dog Sled Races offers both 1 and 2 dog Skijoring events raced on both Saturday and Sunday.  The race route (for 2015) follows the same route as the 4 Dog Sprint Race.  This year we offered our first online registration for mushers and ski-jorers.  As part of the online registration process we asked our participants to tell us a little bit about themselves and provide a photo of them and their dogs.  Here’s the story of our very first Ski-Joring entry online. [ read more ]


 

Eric’s First Ski-joring Event

Local Huntsville ski-jorer Eric took a moment to register on our website for both the one and two dog ski-joring events for the 2015 Kearney Dog Sled Races.  We’re happy to tell Eric’s story, everyone has to start somewhere and for Eric the 2015 Kearney Dog Sled Races will be the very first Ski-joring event entered.  We wish Eric all the best with his efforts in this years race.  See you at the starting line and on the trails Eric.

Ski-joring

skijoring

Skijoring

 

I grew up Alpine Racing for North Bay Ski Racing Club and always dreamed of sharing a descent with my dog(s).  Fast forward about 10 years, my wife and I discovered Ski-Jouring.  I was hesitant at first as I’ve always been a big mountain alpine sort of guy, while ski-jouring employs x-country skiing.  I found some old x-country gear in my parents garage and went to work getting myself into x-country and our 5 year old Australian Shepherd into the pulling spirit.  After the second “training” session, the Aussie and I were ripping through forest trails and across Mary Lake and Lake Nipissing, we are both hooked.  This season we have added our 2 year old German Shepherd into the Ski-jouring team.

By no means am I, nor my team “professional,” nor would I expect to be overly competitive.  The thought of standing in another start gate, this time with my dogs running the course with me, is too exciting to pass up.

 

Question & Answer

How many years have you been running dogs?

I’ve been ski-joring with my dogs two years now

Tell us about your dogs? How many do you have etc?

My wife (Kathi) and I have 2 dogs; 6 year old Tri Colour Aussie “Raja”, and 2 year old German Shepherd “Zeeva”

What do you love most about running sled dogs?

Skijoring is a  great way to keep our beloved family members in shape during the cold winter months.  Be Canadian and take advantage of winter!!

How did your dogs get their names?

We choose short and similar names, easy to call when hiking through the woods, or chant while ski-jouring

List recent sled dog races and/or best performances

I have never competed in a Ski-Jouring or Dog Sled Race before.

What years have you competed in the Kearney Dog Sled Races

2015 would be the first year attending the Kearney Dog Sled Races.

 

Read more about the Kearney Dog Sled Races, Ski-joring events on the race page

Online Registration

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Kylee TremblayAlthough registration for the Kearney Dog Sled Races have been open since the fall, with the launch of our new website we now offer online registration to make the process simple.  Just visit our website and navigate to the Registration tab, under there you will find a Musher Registration page along with registration options for Vendors and Volunteers

If you would like to support the Kearney Dog Sled Races we also now offer online Sponsorship registration.  If you’re just looking for a way to show you love we have a $50 option through our “Friends of the Dogs” program.

 

Our first online Musher Registration

Today (January 3rd 2015) we had our first online registration.  A 2 dog ski-joring entry by Kylee Tremblay from North Bay, Ontario.  Kylee will be attending this years Kearney Dog Sled Race with their dogs; a 2 year old German Shepherd name Maurice and a 2 year old Tamaskan named Tundra.  We wish Kylee and all the other mushers lots of luck in this years Kearney Dog Sled Races.

Musher Registration

 

 

2015 Race Registration Update

Please note changes in our Race Registration and Bib/Seeding Draw

Updated December 2014

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Friday 6-8 pm – Registration is Open for 4 dog, 6 dog, ski-joring and Stage Races.

Friday 8 pm 

  • Seeding for 4-Dog, 6-Dog and Ski-joring classes  – the Race Marshall will determine the mushers bib numbers for Saturday Races based on historical data (no random bib draws)
  • Bib draw for the Stage Race
  • Note – Mushers do not need to be present for this.

Saturday 7 am – Registration Open for 4 dog, 6 dog, ski-joring and Stage Races.

Saturday 8 am – Registration Closes for 4 dog, 6 dog, ski-joring and Stage Races.

Note:

  1. Saturday Morning’s entries will be placed according to registration in order following the last purebred team from Friday night’s placement.
  2. Even if you are an open team and register on Saturday morning you will still start behind the purebred teams that registered on Friday night.
  3. Any pre-registration received with payments prior to 6 pm Friday night will be included in the Friday night’s seeding & bib draws.

Mandatory drivers meeting for the 4 dog, 6 dog, ski-joring and Stage Races will be held on Saturday at 8:15 am in Seniors room. (Drivers Only, no handlers).
Any driver not in attendance maybe accessed a monetary/time penalty at the race marshal’s discretion.

Public Driver’s Meeting will start at 8:30 am in main hall.