John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon

The clock is ticking on Fur-K Fun Run sign-up.

🥸 A perfect opportunity for a trial run of your Halloween garb.

Register now -----> beargrease.com/fur-k

Don't make your doggies sad! Get on over to the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon website at https://beargrease.com/events/ and sign up for the Fur-K Fun Run. If you can't make it in person, why not join the Fur-K virtually? Just register and click on the virtual option.
We are looking for vendors for this event as well! Please email [email protected] if you are interested in a FREE vendor spot for the Fur-K.
We just confirmed today that we will also have live music by Moose on the Loose! See you there!

Have you signed us up for the Fur-K Fun Run????

A flashback to 1980 when it all started.



Don't forget to come see us Art in the Park this weekend!

👀We will be bringing our own "cool" style to Art in the Park. Come find us at Bayfront Park in Duluth on 8/17 and 8/18 from 10-5.👀

We are kicking off our summer event season this Thursday and Friday during Duluth Sidewalk Days!

Come see us at 218 W. Superior Street, right next to Minnesota Surplus. (Our physical office is right above them, if you didn't know)

We have a fresh shipment of summer merchandise that hasn't even made it on the web store yet (tank tops and t-shirts). Maybe meet a musher and/or race dog, get details on the Fur-K that is back this year, and learn how you can volunteer and have a front row seat to the 40th running.

See you there!

The John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon is seeking new board members.
We’re looking for individuals who are motivated and ready to hit the ground running to apply their skill sets to move the organization forward, especially as we approach our 40th running of the race.
If you’re interested in learning more and/or applying to become a member of our board of directors, please complete the application below by Saturday, March 30th 11:59pm.
If you have further questions about being a board member, please email [email protected]

2024-2025 Beargrease Board of Directors Application John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon Board of Directors, Overview The John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon Board of Directors governs the overall ex*****on of the organization’s mission. Principally, the Board manages organizational finances, participates in the planning and implementation of all things...

This is the last weekend to catch Images of Beargrease at Great Lakes Aquarium until next year. Closing reception is from 1pm-3pm Sunday, March 10th. Get there before it's closed.

Many photographs have been graciously donated to us by these and other photographers, so we can bring you this:

https://beargrease.com/product/beargrease-photobook/

Thanks all!!

All aboard! Going on now at The Depot

Ken and Mickie talking about our event at The Depot Friday night. You should come check it out!

Beargrease fundraiser aims to bring back the community after their cancelation Friday, the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon is hosting a big fundraiser at The Depot to bring the mushing community together after 2024's cancelation.

Kicking off fundraising for the next (or same?) race season at St. Louis County Depot, on Friday, March 8th from 5:30-9:30 PM. We will be giving away our 2023 raffle prizes (watch for a live stream here), mushers, a cash bar, VIP champagne tasting, volunteer appreciation, cool silent auction items, and food by Toms Taste of Chicago .

Admission is free. Hope to see you there.

Our Board of Directors VP will be on https://www.wdio.com/the-lift/ on WDIO on Tuesday, with the latest details.

At the office shipping out merchandise orders, always amazed by the history in here.

Let us ship you something too:
beargrease.com/shop

Did you miss your Beargrease friends and family this year? Come join us as we go "off the rails" at The St. Louis County Depot on Friday, March 8th from 5:30pm-9:30(???)pm.

There will be VIP champagne tasting in the historic rail car used in Iron Will, a viewing of Lure of the North, a cash bar, silent auction, volunteer appreciation, and the winners of the 2023 raffle will be drawn....and the best part.....entry is free.

See you there!

PUPPIES....This Saturday. This could be the cutest thing you see all year! Admission is free!

And.... YOUR puppy could be the winner. Pre-register here to make sure your furry friend gets a spot (also free): https://signup.com/go/AqfVarM

Get even more up close and personal...Volunteers are still needed to help out on contest day. https://signup.com/go/BKxcZmD

Heart-broken about the race? We have heart warming puppies! A fan favorite every year, bring the family and vote for the cutest puppy. Best of all...... admission is free. Sponsorship and prizes provided by A Place for Fido.

Saturday 1/27, 10am-2pm, Historic Fitger's, Duluth, MN

Think your 4-9 mo. old puppy is the fairest of them all? Details on puppy pre-registration, and volunteer opportunities here (these are also FREE):

Registration https://signup.com/client/invitation2/secure/732576390027/false #/invitation

Volunteer
https://signup.com/client/invitation2/secure/4730169060106/false #/invitation

Cutest Puppy Contest Pre-Registration SignUp.com makes it easy to coordinate school events & classroom activities, fundraisers, snack schedules, potlucks & more!

Bent Paddle Brewing Co. is paddling for us. Stop in for a pint, and let the doggies keep the change.

Slide on over to Mount Royal Market today from 10-12, we will be bagging groceries for you, also we are part of their round up campaign this month.

Get some raffle tickets to win a Salsa Cycles fat tire bike, or a sled dog trip from White Wilderness Sled Dog Adventures.

Can't make it? We will be there the same time every Saturday this month (except the 27th, more on that later)

FYI, to our raceless mushers.

**** ATTENTION MUSHERS ****

The deadline for entries to the 2024 Yukon Quest was intended to be today, however given race cancellations down South for weather concerns that couldn't have been planned for, we are extending the entry deadline to accommodate mushers that otherwise would be left without options.

Our entry deadline has been extended through the weekend to 10:00am MT on Monday, January 8.

Any mushers wishing to enter the 2024 Yukon Quest can reach out to Ben at [email protected] or Abi at [email protected] for updated race information and entry forms. Forms are also available on the website at www.yukonquest.com.

A full list of entrants will be posted soon and updated as new entries are received.

Thank you to everyone in the mushing community and the communities at large for the support of the Yukon Quest and in helping make 2024 a success!

We will be there. How about you? 🐕‍🦺🛷😁

Mushers,

We are all very sad that the race was cancelled this year; we can’t do anything about the weather, and an event this large is a bit of monster, it can’t be cancelled at the last minute, and it takes a huge effort to move the date. It also costs real money to change the date, and money is not something we have a lot of.
So, I think we need to keep things in perspective. It takes hundreds of volunteers and countless hours of freely given time by these volunteers as well as the board to put this race on for us. They raise over 100 thousand dollars, spend hours on snowmobiles checking and marking trail, sit at lonely road crossings at all hour so we can safely cross, and perform many other tasks with enthusiasm, flying in from all over the country on their own dime. All of this is done so less than a hundred people can go out and have fun with their dog teams.
We should be thankful to and have some respect for all of the volunteers, sponsors, and board members, because they are doing all of this for us. I don’t think we need to repay them by whining
about the race being cancelled too early, or not postponed etc. It didn’t work out this year because the weather, oh well, keep running your dogs, be thankful that you are able to do what you enjoy.
I want to thank all of the mushers who have been respectful and presented a good front to the public, whether on social media, or in person. If you have questions or concerns please direct them to your musher reps.

Shawn McCarty
Marathon Musher Rep

With no race happening in 2024, here are some FAQ answers:

Musher refund info- https://beargrease.com/info-for-mushers/

Trail Mail- Sales are suspended. If you have envelopes, please keep them, and we will honor them next year. Already sent them back to us? We will drop them in the regular mail, and send you new ones this fall to be carried by a musher.

Mile Markers- We will honor mile markers at the 2025 race.

Cutest puppy contest- Still on for Jan 27., details coming soon.
https://beargrease.com/events/

Meanwhile, the Beargrease Art Show begins January 5 and runs through Jan 31 at Tettegouche State Park. Open house from 7:00PM-8:30PM, on Jan. 5, with artists and board members present.

We are also looking for volunteers to help us bag groceries on Saturdays in January from 10AM-Noon at Mount Royal Market.
Sign up here: https://signup.com/go/bHfeCuZ

Info for Mushers – Beargrease Join us this year to become part of a rich history that will live on for generations and to accomplish one of the most rewarding and challenging races in the lower 48 states.

For Immediate Press Release:
RE: John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon 2024 Race
January 2, 2024
After months of waiting for the weather to cooperate, the Board of Directors for the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon has made the decision to postpone the 40th running to January 26, 2025. This was not an easy decision. But, with concerns over the weather, safety of the dogs, mushers and volunteers it was the only decision that we felt comfortable with.
There have been many discussions about postponing to a later date this winter but the weather is unpredictable. Likewise, in the effort to find a postponement date and in the spirit of sportsmanship, there was not another date that didn’t impede on another established race.
The Beargrease will continue to have several fundraising events so stay tuned to our socials and website for how you can continue to support this amazing race that we all love so much.

We are using the 21st of December for a few things - because we are efficient in that way. 🤣

Happy first day of Winter to all of you!!! Fall has fallen behind!!!

We also wish for you and yours to have a safe and peaceful holiday however you celebrate, whatever you celebrate, wherever you celebrate! And food, we wish you lots of great eats!

And wishing too that the coming 2024 will bring the opportunity for hard-work full of rewards. A year like no other! Full of healthy and happy dogs (yeah, yeah, yeah, and people too).

Do we wish anything for us? Look, we know of no others as blessed as we are to live in God's Country and to be able to be part of an amazing event like CopperDog. BUT since you are asking, we can think of two little things;

1) Snow!!! Actually, lower temperatures! Precipitation has been ok but it's not cold enough! So yeah, colder and snowier! Hey you up there; it's Winter now, you can turn on the faucet!!! Wishing the same for our Upper Midwest friends at the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon, The UP200, Midnight Run, and Jack Pine 30, the Tahquamenon Country Sled Dog Race, the Northern Pines Sled Dog Race, the Gunflint Mail Run, the WolfTrack Classic Sled Dog Race, and the Lake Minnetonka Klondike Dog Derby!!! And really every single dog sled race in the world celebrating this amazing sport!!!

2) We are on the verge of hitting 10,000 followers on our page... Can we reach that milestone before race weekend on March 1st, 2nd, & 3rd??? As we type this, we have a total of 9,768 followers. Consider inviting your friends to like & follow us? Why not share the love? And more importantly, invite your friends (and yourself) to actually show up on Main Street Calumet in early March!!! That's what we really want!!

And Santa... We are not asking for much, are we? You know, every time your reindeers are in the shop, we come through for you with the best motley crew we can assemble. There is that... And to again help you out, our dogos know the way to Copper World; everyone gets official CopperDog swag - you can just scrap that 150-mile-long list of yours!!!! We are always looking out for you, just saying...

[snow] [Snow] [SNOW] ...did you hear something???

Visit Keweenaw / Keweenaw Chamber of Commerce / Keweenaw National Historical Park / Michigan's Upper Peninsula / Visit Rovaniemi

Photo courtesy [kiitos] of our cousins at Santatelevision: Santa Claus’ TV in Rovaniemi, Suomi!!! It's no joke, we are related; da Yoop is not called 'The Land of 10,000 Mäkis' for nothing!