Talkeetna Ice Festival Goes to the Dogs

The weather may have been a little warmer than expected for the fifth annual Talkeetna Ice Festival, but that did not diminish the excitement visitors had to the event this weekend.

The sun shining down only added the enthralled reaction to the ice sculptures on display, some crafted with little more than a chisel and other small tools. Tracy Steere was putting extra touches to her husband Mike’s sculpture, “Finding Nemo? Find Yourself” ice sculpture, and said the unseasonably warmer weather may have kept some away. “It’s been pretty tough this year with the warmer weather.” This was the second year they entered the ‘Hand Tools’ category after winning in the same category last year.

There were other events to capture the ice festival vibes, including a chili cook-off, Kickstand races, a Nordic Ski Shuffle, film festival, and Cardboard Chariot races. But perhaps no event emulated the exuberance for the ice festival more than the Dog Keg Pull races.

Jodi Rodwell, Executive Director of the Denali Education Council (DEC), and Kellie Laurson, Talkeetna Manager for the DEC, which sponsored the event, explained that there are categories for household dogs and sled dogs. Within the household dogs, there are size categories-small, medium, and large-determined by the size of the dogs. Each dog is then hooked up to an appropriate-size empty kegs, ranging from full size to pony kegs, and for the little dogs, an empty six-pack.

“They pull them down the (street) and get timed. It’s amazing.”

Laurson explained that this was the fourth year for the races, and the uniquely Talkeetna event has been gaining popularity ever since. “It’s a little small-town, local thing that’s been making its way down through the Valley.”

The women say the idea came from the organizers of the Ice Festival, approaching the Denali Education Center to see if they would be interested in taking it on. “We said sure!” said Rodwell. “And now it’s just become a fun tradition and one of the biggest draws of the ice festival.”

She explained that they’re prepared to take up to 50 dogs, including last-minute registrations that started an hour before the races.

Participants take the races seriously, training their dogs using various techniques that may or may not include filled kegs to get them used to the idea of pulling.

First time participant Virgil, a Brittney Spaniel mix, and his human, Kim Kohler, had been practicing for the past week, using a borrowed keg to train for the middle-weight category, requiring him to pull a pony keg. “We’ve been running around for the past week and a half, and he really wasn’t fazed by it, but I’m thinking when we’re there in the chute with a bunch of people around, he might become much more distracted.”

She says to help keep Virgil on track, she bought a New York Strip steak to be given at the finish line. “I’m hoping that’s enough motivation to get him to run to me and not socialize.”

When asked what made her want to enter, Kohler said simply that Talkeetna is a dog town “Everybody here, if they don’t have a dog, they love dogs. And it’s the one event that I think most people are excited for. It seems silly not to enter.” That love for dogs was evident by how many people greeted the different dogs around the town, including Wendell, a Siberian Husky that ran for mayor last year, as he sat and posed for photos on Main Street.

Kohler says she was also working to contain her own competitive nature intact and not worry that Virgil might get distracted by keeping one simple thing in mind: “It’s all part of the fun.”

Similar to the Iditarod, dogs are harnessed up and wait to run down the “chute,” often accompanied by their owners who may use treats and rubber chickens to keep pooches on course.

But like humans, some of the dogs exhibited a lack of interest in running, while a few took a little prodding before zipping down the course. One repeat participant, Alpine, was not in the competitive mood this time. As owner Bobbi Jo Van Sickle says, Alpine seems less interested in racing than the first year they entered.

Some dogs and their owners use the race to develop some socialization skills. That is true for first-time participant, Hank, an 8-month old mixed breed with some sled dog blood, has been in harness for several months, especially when he accompanies his human, Isaac Teaford, in town. “This is just a great reason to get him out and socialize, and it’s a great experience for the dogs. I want a well-rounded dog.” Teaford has experience with running dogs as he has run the Iditarod and training with Dallas Seavey’s team.

As for the Ice Festival itself, local like Kim Kohler said it’s a great thing for the town.

“I think the town makes a wonderful effort to find reasons for the community to get together and spend time together, because winter can be dark and cold and lonely. Talkeetna does an excellent job at making sure there’s enough going on to keep us all feeling like a community and giving us that space to connect with people.”