Traverse City Record-Eagle

Ed Hungness

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January 8, 2012

Reflections: 'On, King! On, you huskies!'

By Ed Hungness, Local columnist ----

If you are age 60 or

beyond, the headline

of today’s column

might ring a bell. In the

mid-1950s, Sgt. Preston, of

the Canadian Mounties,

patrolled the wilds of the

Yukon with his horse, Rex,

and faithful dog, Yukon

King. Together they battled

both the elements and the

criminals of the great white

north.

Of course this all took

place on our 16-inch blackand-

white TV on Saturday

mornings. Fifty years later,

whenever I see a dogsled

team I instantly think of

Sgt. Preston mushing his

husky team across the frozen

tundra.

I have good news. You

don’t need to journey to

Alaska or to the Yukon this

winter to see dogs pulling

a sled and driver through

the snow on a crisp winter

day. On Jan. 21 and 22, the

Great Lakes Sled Dog Association

will participate

in the fourth annual Fife

Lake-Springfield Township

Sled Dog Races. The races

take place beginning at 10

a.m. Saturday and 9 a.m.

Sunday at the Springfield

Recreation Area near Fife

Lake. The recreation area

is located near the intersection

of Lund Road and

Creighton Road southeast

of the Village of Fife Lake.

In past years, competing

teams have traveled from

Minnesota, Ohio, Illinois,

Michigan and Ontario to

join in the two days of fun

and excitement. Teams

are divided into adult and

junior divisions, which are

then further classified according

to how many dogs

are in each team. Junior

racers may drive teams

of from one to three dogs.

Adult class can range from

four to eight dogs on a

team. Last year, there were

51 teams.

The dog teams compete

for cash prizes on courses

up to eight miles long,

which wind through the

woodlands bordering the

beautiful Manistee River.

Shorter courses are available

for the junior classes.

The races are held in conjunction

with the Springfield

Township Recreation

Area’s Snow Fun Days. This

winter celebration offers

family fun at its best. The

park is home to a huge sledding/

tubing hill that everyone

can enjoy. At the base

of the hill lies an open-air

pavilion with a roaring

bonfire close by. Chili, hot

dogs, chips, hot chocolate

and coffee are available.

All the activities are free.

Donations are welcome and

all of the money raised goes

toward maintaining and

improving the Springfield

Recreation Area. For additional

information, contact

volunteers Don Buchanan

at 879-4401 or Dan Briggs at

499-1629.

Bundle up; bring the

sleds, tubes and toboggans;

and join the fun. Don’t

forget to bring your camera

and of course, the kids. On,

King! On, you huskies!

Ed Hungness and his wife

became full-time residents of

Fife Lake in 2005 after Ed’s

retirement. He can be reached

at edhungness@yahoo.com

or by mail at P.O. Box 57, Fife

Lake, MI 49633.

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