FORT KENT — A new, nonprofit organization at Fort Kent is gearing up for what is being billed as the biggest sled dog race east of the Mississippi.

The CAN AM Crown, a 250-mile, international sled dog race, will be held Feb.16-19 in northern Maine, according to Fort Kent Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Lisa Dumond.

The race begins early Tuesday, Feb. 16, and is expected to last up to four days. However, some of the best mushers could finish within 36 to 48 hours.

The 250-mile loop course will take mushers along old logging roads through some of the most rugged and beautiful country Maine has to offer, Dumond said.

Mushers will depart from Fort Kent, travel out to Portage then westerly into the northwestern Maine wilderness, circle back to Allagash and head back for the finish in Fort Kent.

The race has a guaranteed $10,000 purse which will be divided among the first 12 finishers. Prizes range from a minimum of $2,500 for first place to $200 for 12th place. More than 150 inquiries have come into Fort Kent so far, some from as far away as Alaska, England and Scandinavia.

The CAN AM Crown will open with a mushers meeting at 6 p.m. Monday, Feb. 15, at the Fort Kent Ski Tow. Racers will go over signage, trail markings and rules developed by Don McEwen and Georges Theriault, well-known and experienced mushers from Ontario, Canada.

Theriault, the race marshal, will have final say in any dispute and the chief veterinarian will have ultimate determination over whether dogs may continue at any point in the race.

Mushers must begin the race with no more than 12 dogs and finish with at least eight. Any dogs unable to finish the race must be carried to the next checkpoint or the finish line. A 12-hour layover at the site of mushers’ choice is mandatory. Racers also must carry mushers’ gear and four days worth of provisions for themselves and their teams.

Mushers also must appear at four checkpoints along the race route at which there will be judges and veterinarians.

The event will conclude with the Mushers’ Banquet on Friday, Feb. 19, at the ski tow. Planners hope to be able to offer a wild game dinner and to get a big-name musher to present awards. A dance will follow.

Entry fees are $150 ($188 Canadian funds) until Jan. 11, and $200 ($250 Canadian funds) from that date to the mushers meeting Feb. 15. More information may be obtained by calling Dumond at 834-5354 or 834-3507.