Willow residents prepare for 2020 Iditarod restart Sunday

WASILLA — Around 15,000 people are expected to attend the 2020 Iditarod restart, making the small town of Willow a whole lot bigger over the weekend.

“It’s an exciting time. Even though we’ve had it so many times, we always look forward to it. We have parties in our yards along the trail, out on the lake with deck parties where they can see the mushers go by,” Willow Chamber of Commerce President Jim Houston said.

Willow is often referred to as the “mushing capital of the world” and that’s apparent when traversing around the community, seeing various volunteers grooming trails and local mushers taking visitors on sled tours.

“There’s a lot of preparation going on, especially with so much snow we’ve got recently; people opening up their driveways to their recreation cabins and weekend cabins… The state highway people have been bustling back berms on the roads and the bike trails. It’s just a lot of extra, needed things to be done,” Houston said.

As people across the state make their way to Willow, locals like Houston busily go from one errand to the next to prepare for the restart. Residents from all walks of life donate countless hours of their time year-round, offering their various skill sets and personal resources.

“They’re real busy. I can tell you that; packing trails, and there’s more snow coming. We have an extensive trail grooming group here . Our trails are actually famous for being well kept,” Houston said. “They’re hardy to get out in any condition that would come their way so it would be ready for weekend use and especially Iditarod use.”

The historic Iditarod Trail sees plenty of action beyond the race from locals and visitors alike. Mushers, snowmachiners, tour guides, and people with cabins nearby utilize the trail, enjoying the fruits of the groomer’s labors.

“It makes the backcountry a lot safer,” Houston said. “It’s quite a community service.”

The Iditarod touches many lives across the state and it really hits home in the Valley. Houston said the chamber is working to place signs across the community that say, “Willow is the dog mushing capital of the world and home of the Iditarod restart”

Houston said the sign will feature 24 different countries based on people that live in Willow or visited Willow and raced in the Iditarod.

Communities like Knik and Willow both have roots in the Last Great Race and will forever be ingrained in mushing history.

“Knik is the birthplace of the Iditarod,” Matanuska-Susitna Borough Mayor Vern Halter said. “The home of the Iditarod is the Mat-Su and it has a lot of history and legacy in Knik and Willow, but one’s not more important than the other. Willow is a great place for the restart.”

The Idtiarod asked Halter to lead the first team out of the Ceremonial Start in Anchorage. The Borough Mayor has personally run 18 Iditarods in his life. He said that he was very excited for the opportunity.

“That’s going to be a lot of fun,” Halter said.

Willow residents like Halter are very busy this time of year. He owns Dream a Dream Premier Iditarod Kennel and offers sled tours.

“I could book so many it’s unbelievable,” Halter said with a laugh.

Like many locals, Halter grooms trails. It’s a fairly common practice in the area. The Willow Trails Committee has a Facebook group with regular trail and race updates along with photos of grooming efforts. There’s currently 1,084 members in the group.

Willow resident Bill Luth’s name is synonymous with the Willow Trails Committee. His tireless efforts maintaining trails each year garnered him a nickname among locals.

“He’s the guy who really does the trail for many, many miles the mushers are going to be on. He’s kinda ‘mister trail’ around here, just a normal Joe that works hard,” Halter said.

The Iditarod restart takes place on Willow Lake, near the Willow Community Center. There will be temporary parking spots across the street.

The Iditarod offers shuttle services in Anchorage, Houston, Wasilla, and Talkeetna.

Iditarod officials encourage the public to utilize their shuttle services to mitigate the massive influx of traffic.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com