Volunteers at heart of sled dog races

FORT KENT – Alan Dow started repairing signs for the 2004 Can-Am Crown International Sled Dog Races last March and finished Thursday night, just before he had to set up the finish line gate Friday morning.

Dow, 62, of Fort Kent said Friday afternoon that he had more than 3,000 signs to paint, rivet or otherwise repair after the last race.

“I worked all year on that project,” said the self-professed gofer for the Can-Am Crown. “I’ve been at this for 10 of the 12 races held here.

“It’s fun meeting people,” he said when asked why he does the volunteer work. “It’s our town and the race makes people come to Fort Kent. This race has put the town on the map,” he said while taking a short break.

“People come here and keep coming here because we put on a good race,” Dow said.

The president of the Can-Am Crown Sled Dog Race said the volunteers, who work on the race year-round, are “the heart and soul of this annual race.”

“If we did not have them, we could never put on this race,” Rita Cannan, a volunteer since the inception of the race 12 years ago, said Friday. “If we had to pay every man-hour, and everything local businesses donation, this could cost $500,000 to put on.

“Somehow, I need to find a way to thank all these people and these businesses,” she said.

Mike Martin, the local KeyBank branch manager, said they allow their employees to give a lot of time for the Can-Am Crown. This year, KeyBank not only allowed employees to work the Can-Am, including running the Can-Am Crown souvenir store at the bank, the bank is also the major sponsor of the 250-mile race, putting up the $20,000 purse.

“It’s just a natural for us,” Martin said of the race. “It’s a great community event.”

“When mushers thank us for putting on a good race at the annual banquet, it makes all the difference in the he world,” Dow said. “That’s all we ask, and most of the volunteers feel the same way.”

Volunteers do everything for the race from setting up fences, running checkpoints along the way and being veterinarians.

The “head vet,” as Kathy Jackson is called while overseeing her staff of nine veterinarians and eight assistants, is from Woodbridge, Conn. She was there for the Friday afternoon vet checks for the seventh straight year.

“We do it for the sport, and working with dogs,” Jackson, a 13-year veterinarian, said. “We really enjoy working with the mushers from whom we learn something each year.

“We gather here each year to be like a family,” she said. “This is really like a big family reunion for us.”

Before the race, veterinarians check to be sure all vaccinations are current and give physical examinations to each dog. During the race, they staff checkpoints where they check dogs for lameness, hydration and attitude.

She said the decision to remove a dog from the race is a joint one of the veterinarian and the musher.

“Mushers are very caring of their animals,” she said. “The first thing that impressed me at these races is how much mushers care for their dogs, and the mutual respect between the mushers and their dogs.”