Sled Dog Races Face Cancellation for Second Straight Year

A snowless scene in Hamilton has forced organizers to cancel the New England Sled Dogs races scheduled for the coming weekend.

A mostly snowless winter for the second year in a row has again forced the cancellation the New England Sled Dog races in Hamilton. Organizer Robert Henrici said on Monday that a meeting of volunteer organizers was planned at his house on Monday night where the official decision will be made to cancel this year's race, which was scheduled for Feb. 2-3 at Appleton Farms. It has been previously postponed from a weekend in mid-January. With no snow on the ground, a forecast for just an inch of snow of Monday night and temperatures forecasted to get into the 50s on Wednesday, “it’s not going to happen,” said Henrici, co-chairman of the races and its non-profit organizer, Friends of New England Sled Dog Club Races. “Unfortunately there is no …

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Patch Facts

Five Things to Know on Jan. 17: Meet a Musher and Author

An essential get-me-going daily morning column from Hamilton-Wenham Patch.

Today is Thursday, Jan. 17. Here are five things you need to know in Hamilton and Wenham: 1. Sun: The sun is forecasted to return on Thursday, with temperatures getting up to about 40 degrees. There will be a light west wind. 2. PMC: “Alumni” of the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge have been able to register for the 2013 ride for the past few weeks. On Thursday, it is a chance for newcomers to sign up for this summer’s bicycle ride across the state, with rides up to 190 miles over one or two days. Last year, 35 residents from Hamilton and Wenham rode in the Pan-Mass Challenge, helping raise $37 million for cancer research. 3. Dog Sled: The sled dog races originally planned for this weekend have been postponed, but Wednesday snow should put …

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Patch Facts

Five Things to Know on Jan. 15: Casino Application Deadline

An essential get-me-going daily morning column from Hamilton-Wenham Patch.

Today is Tuesday, Jan. 15. Here are five things you need to know in Hamilton and Wenham: 1. Thaw: The January thaw is over and temperatures return to more typical wintertime temperatures on Tuesday.  The sky will be sunny with a high temperature of about 40 degrees. 2. Dog Sled Races: Exactly two years ago today was the start of the oh-so-snowy sled dog races at Appleton Farms. This year’s edition was planned for this coming weekend, but on Monday was postponed to the backup date of Feb. 2-3. 3. Casinos: Tuesday is the deadline for companies interested in building a resort casino in the state to submit a deposit. The chairman of the state Gaming Commission told the North Shore Chamber of Commerce last month that after Tuesday, we will know…

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Sled Dog Races Postponement Comes as Temps are in the 60s

The 2013 edition of the New England Sled Dog races have been postponed to February.

As temperatures rose in the 60s on Monday, the announcement came that this year’s New England Sled Dog Races at Appleton Farms have been postponed until February. The races were originally scheduled for the coming weekend, Jan. 19-20. The new date is Feb. 2-3. The announcement was made on Monday afternoon on the Facebook page for the races. “The races have been postponed until February 2-3,” the message stated. “See you there!” It is the second straight year that the races had to be postponed because of a lack of snow. Last year’s races, which were originally scheduled for mid-January, were postponed to the backup February date and then postponed altogether to 2013 after barely any snow fell. The races require two things – frozen ground …

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Sled Dog Races 'Coming Back Strong'

After a nearly snowless winter forced the sled dog races in Hamilton to be cancelled in 2012, the races plan to return in January 2013.

The New England Sled Dog races plan to return to Hamilton again this winter after being completely cancelled last year because of a nearly snowless winter. “We’re coming back strong,” said Robert Henrici, co-chairman of the races and its non-profit organizer, Friends of New England Sled Dog Club Races. The most important thing right now isn’t snow, Henrici said, but instead that temperatures are cold enough for the ground to freeze solid. Solid ground is needed to use the parking area. And Henrici isn’t worried about whether it will snow or not. There’s "a lot of moving parts” plus “nuts and bolts” to get worked out, he said, and “I can’t worry about the things that I can not control.” What is under the control of organizers is coming …

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Five Things You Need to Know Today: Feb. 3

An essential get-me-going daily morning column from Hamilton-Wenham Patch.

Today is Friday, Feb. 3. Here are five things you need to know: 1. Winter: For the first time all week, Friday will actually feel winter-like. The forecast calls for mostly sunny skies and a high temperature in the mid-30s. 2. Patton Advisory Committee: Friday is the final day for Hamilton residents to express their interest in being named to the Patton Family Gift Advisory Committee. There are three open at-large spots on the committee and as of earlier this week there were eight residents who were interested. An application should be submitted to Hamilton Town Hall and the Board of Selectmen are scheduled to decide on the at-large committee members on Monday night. 3. Buchanan: Friday is officially former school Superintendent Raleigh …

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Sled Dog Races Cancelled for This Winter, Organizers Look Forward to 2013

The warm and snowless winter has forced the New England Sled Dog Races to be cancelled for this year.

The New England Sled Dog Races – already postponed once because of warm weather and lack of snow – have now been cancelled for 2012. The races were originally planned for mid-January at Appleton Farms Grass Rides, and were then postponed to this weekend, Feb. 4-5. But late last week, the organizing committee decided that the races would be cancelled for this year. “The whole committee is disappointed,” said Vanessa Stasiuk-Cottle, the event organizer. Even though it’s just the middle of the winter, there’s no more dates left to move the race. The rest of the races circuit has weekend dates booked through the end of the winter. “All the races dates are taken up for the club,” said Stasiuk-Cottle. “There are no other dates, unfortunately.” …

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Patch Facts

Five Things You Need to Know Today: Jan. 11

An essential get-me-going daily morning column from Hamilton-Wenham Patch.

Today is Wednesday, Jan. 11. Here are five things you need to know: 1. Weather: We have essentially a perfect winter day in store for Wednesday before a storm works into the area, beginning on Wednesday night with what is forecasted to be a mix on some snow, sleet and rain. During the day on Wednesday, it will be sunny with temperatures into the mid-30s. 2. Musher: The New England Sled Dog races were originally scheduled to come to Appleton Farms this weekend, and as part of that Dr. Jerry Vanek will be appearing at Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School. While the races were moved to Feb. 4-5 when there will hopefully be more snow on the ground, Vanek kept his original date. Vanek will talk about his 20-year career as a veterinarian for …

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Tell Me Something Good

The Joy of Dog Sledding in -60 Degree Weather

It takes two to tango and twelve or so dogs to pull a sled from Whitehorse, Yukon to Fairbanks, Alaska.

Back in the day it was about necessity and ease, about coping with impossibly deep snow and impossibly great distances. It was about getting from point A to point B. It was about getting out to ice flows to hunt walrus or seal and it was about safe guarding a town from an outbreak of diphtheria. But in the age of snowmobiles, dog sledding is about something else.  “It’s for the love of the dogs, that’s why they do it,” says New England Sled Dog Race Chairwoman Susanna Colloredo-Mansfeld. The New England Sled Dogs races had been originally scheduled for this coming weekend, Jan. 14-15, at Appleton Farms. But last week, since there's no snow on the ground, organizers announced that the races have been moved back to Feb. 4-5. Introduced to …

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Robert Gates

6:06 pm on Sunday, January 8, 2012

Cami, we apologize for the error. It has been corrected. More info about the postponement here: http://patch.com/A-pTBb   more ›

Winter's Snowless Start Forces Sled Dog Race Postponement

The New England Sled Dogs races are now scheduled for Feb. 4-5, a new date after it became clear there would not be enough snow for the original January date.

The snowless winter has forced organizers of the New England Sled Dogs Races in Hamilton to postpone the event by three weeks. The announcement was made late Tuesday evening and organizer Vanessa Stasiuk-Cottle said she spent Wednesday “making phone calls all day to everyone” to get out word about the change. The two-day event had been scheduled for Jan. 14-15. It’s now been moved to Feb. 4-5 at Appleton Farms, with the start and finish near the intersection of Highland Street and Cutler Road in Hamilton at Appleton Farms Grass Rides. “It’s a definite,” Stasiuk-Cottle said on Wednesday about the postponement. In addition to the bare ground, the weather forecast shows virtually no sign of a snowstorm between now and Jan. 14. At least one …

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