CopperDog 150 Mission

The mission of the CopperDog 150 Club is to (1) promote community vitality, (2) sustain natural resources, (3) achieve national recognition, and (4) advance sled dog sports by hosting community-driven events.

CopperDog 150 Organization

The CopperDog 150 Club is a sub-committee of the promotions committee of Main Street Calumet, a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization.  The CopperDog 150 Club is staffed by volunteers that organize and run a variety of community centric activities and events from free sled rides for kids to a three day, pro-class sled dog race.  To learn more about Main Street Calumet, please visit their web site at www.mainstreetcalumet.com.

Doug Harrer
Board Chair

past Asst. Race Director

Doug Harrer, a native of the Keweenaw, lives in Calumet.  Doug spends much of his typical day traveling the Upper Peninsula as a Driver and Sales Rep. for Ferrellgas and has also served as a Trustee of the Calumet Village since 2006.

As the concept for the CopperDog 150 was first coming together, the Calumet Village Council was asked to provide a representative to sit on the CopperDog Board.  Feeling that the proposed event would be a good opportunity for Calumet businesses during a typically slow time of year, Doug volunteered and became involved.

As Doug learned the basics of mushing and helped in the planning of the inaugural event, his interest and enthusiasm grew.  Using his many years of experience as Inventory Manager at Somero, Doug managed the race's apparel, merchandise, and sales, which raises much needed funds for the event.  Doug moved on to managing musher parking and was a "Calumet Hooker" (the person that pulls a musher's snow-hook off the cable at the Calumet starting shoot) at the first race.

After experiencing the thrill and excitement of the event, Doug became very passionate about the sport and was ready to get more involved.  Later in 2010 Doug went on to be the clear choice to Chair the CopperDog 150 board.  Doug's balance of insight, experience and even temperament made him the perfect person to bring together the many different people and personalities that make up the Board.  Doug also served as Asst. Race Director at the second CopperDog 150 event in March of 2011.

In mid 2011 Doug served a key roll in establishing policy and procedures designed to make the CopperDog 150 successful and sustainable for many years to come.  With many fresh faces on the Board, Doug was re-elected as Chair and worked to establish the various committees to better distribute the immense work load of planning the epic sled-dog racing weekend.

Doug believes that between the beautiful terrain of the Keweenaw Peninsula, the dedication of mushers to their sport, and the ongoing support of local business, the CopperDog 150 will be one of the most prestigious sled-dog races in the Midwest.  Doug is honored and humbled to say he's been a part of the adventure since day one.

Todd Brassard - Race Director

Todd Brassard is a computer programmer at Calumet Electronics, a printed circuit board manufacturing company, and owner, along side his wife Jessie, of Brassard Media, a video production and web design business.  Todd was introduced to the sport of Mushing when he was recruited to produce a promotional video for Brewery Creek Racing, a kennel operated by musher Truman Obermeyer. 

As many do, Todd fell victim to charm of the dogs and the beauty of the sport.  When he learned of a sled-dog race being organized for the Keweenaw, he volunteered his services (web programming) and his wife's talent (graphic design) and put together a web site for the event (www.copperdog150.com).

Todd was asked to join the Board of Directors and soon found himself working very closely with the CopperDog 150's founding Race Director, Brian Tiura.  Tiura was an inspiring leader for Todd who taught him the ins and outs of mushing and sled-dog racing.  Although the first annual event was extremely demanding on everyone's time and energy, Todd very much enjoyed the payoff of a great event despite tough weather conditions.

When the Brian Tiura and family moved to Alaska, Todd was left in the unexpected position of knowing more than most about organizing and planning the CopperDog 150. Seeing few options, Todd was nervous and excited to take on the role of Race Director.  In this new role he imparted what he had learned from Brian, introduced some of his own ideas, and worked closely with other people like himself who really loved the event.  With so many good people pulling together, the second annual CopperDog 150 was a great success, especially with the weather in our favor.

Presently, Todd is still responsible for the design and content of the web site and serves as Race Director.  Working with race planning "veterans", he is excited to see so many new committed people sharing the workload and hopes to provide good leadership moving forward.  His motto is "Happy healthy dogs, happy healthy mushers!"

Abbey Green
Asst. Race Director

Abbey Green calls Calumet her home and just a few blocks away you will find her studio on 5th Street in downtown Calumet.  Abbey is a stained glass artist and proprietor of abbey art glass studio, she specializes in custom commission stained glass works and the historic restoration of old panels.  As a downtown business owner and a CopperDog 150 Trailblazer, Abbey believes strongly in the community and wants to see it flourish and grow.

Abbey was introduced to the CopperDog 150 in 2009 when she became a Trailblazer, one of a select group of forward thinking businesses and individuals who provided the initial funding that launched the first CopperDog 150 event.  Enthused by her love of canines and being friends with local mushers Truman Obermeyer and Jerry Trudell, she was inspired to create limited edition collectible copper glass paws etched with the CopperDog logo for the first race.  Abbey would go on in future years to not only make more collectibles, but to design and make awards for the 2011 race winners.

Abbey volunteered her time during the race weekend and helped out with musher bag checks, selling t-shirts, and helped reorganize and deploy our volunteer army when our U.P. weather became uncharacteristically warm in 2010.  She found the experience very rewarding and decided to get more involved.

In 2010, Abbey made it clear to the CopperDog board that they needed to reach out and engage more people like herself who wanted to get involved in the early planning process.  A few short weeks (perhaps days) later, Abbey found herself in the middle of the planning process using her seemingly endless energy and ideas to make short work of problems.  Abbey produced all of the badges worn by race staff and most importantly, working with her husband Chris Green, produced all of the trail signs the mushers rely upon to safely navigate the race course.  Chris Green, an Engineer at the Keweenaw Research Center and Abbey's husband of 30 years, took on the challenge of setting up hundreds of the signs on 100 miles of trail the day before the race.

In mid 2010, Abbey was nominated for a position on the Board.  Winning a seat, Abbey immediately took on the key roles of Vice Chair of the Board, Chair of the Sponsorship Committee, and Asst. Race Director along with Meredith LaBeau (after a little arm twisting from Todd). When Abbey first made a donation, as a Trailblazer, to do something good for downtown Calumet she had no idea about her coming addiction to sled dog racing, the fun, excitement, good times and amazing people, who all come together to celebrate the extraordinary Keweenaw.

Abbey spends her free time working with her husband on restoring an 1880's home, a small mansion really, that had been unoccupied and boarded-up for 25 years.  After a decade of hard work and dedication, the 17 room Stick Style Victorian house project is now their home.  A home that includes Tate, their well behaved; some would say highly trained, spirited young German Shepherd who loves the winter and wishes he had the stamina to be a sled dog.

Meredith LaBeau
Asst. Race Director

Meredith LaBeau is a doctoral student at Michigan Technological University researching future impacts of phosphorus on surface water quality in the Great Lakes Basin.  Originally from Lansing, Meredith has lived in a variety of places working on environmental remediation and education.  Currently, she has been living in the Houghton/Hancock area for six years with her family, which includes a loveable, stubborn 150lb Alaskan Malamute, Laukki.

Last year, she became involved in the CopperDog 150 through a friend that played an active role in sponsorship and banners.  Meredith has always loved dogs, as her house door says “Every dog has his day (English)”, therefore volunteering with the Copperdog150 was a natural fit.

Besides research and volunteering, she avidly enjoys biking, running, hiking, and camping in the Keweenaw Peninsula and beyond.  She is extremely excited to be one of the Assistant Race Directors this year!

Come on snow and bring on the dogs!

Pete Curtice
Race Marshall

Pete Curtice is a has been involved with the sled dogs for about 17 years, but Pete was actually pulled into the sport by his wife Sharon.  In the early days, Pete started out by helping his wife performer her responsibilities at the first UP 200. 

It didn't take long, however, before Pete was bitten by the mushing bug and found himself competing in short-mid to mid-distance races in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota regions.  A few years later, Pete started his own kennel and committed to the "madness" mostly in compliance to Sharon's persistence.  Pete has had his fair share of first place finishes in races like the UP200, Midnight Run, Apostle Islands, and the Wilderness run. 

At the start of each season, Pete and Sharon would pick their races, one would run the race and the other would handle.  When the both ran teams Sharon usually took out their main team. When Pete is not caring for dogs, he is raising three lovely children, and is employed as a sheet metal worker.

Pete is thrilled to have been asked to be the Race Marshal at the CopperDog 150 and looks forward to the "intense mini vacation" every year. 

Pete has also earned the respect and gratitude of the CopperDog 150 in 2009 by accepting the position of Race Marshal at their inaugural race.  As weather conditions fell apart, trails vanished overnight, vets grew concerned about rising the temperature, and mushers were animated and polarized on weather the race should continue or be finished, all eyes turned to Pete as Race Marshall.  Pete came through for the CD150 in that first year and in 2010 he provided the leadership the CD150 needed to adapt and be a great race.  The CopperDog 150 is very pleased to have Pete back as Race Marshall.

Sharon Nelson-Curtice
Race Judge

Sharon Nelson-Curtice has been involved in the world of sled dogs for over 20 years and has owned her own dogs for the past 17 years.  Sharon has experienced great success running short-mid to mid-distances races in the Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota regions.  

As a young girl, Sharon's dream was to have her own sled dog kennel and she made her first steps towards that dream by getting involved with the first UP 200 race.  To her delight, Sharon became involved with a sled dog kennel and began racing teams.  Three years after starting her involvement with the UP 200 and pulling her husband Pete into the sport, she own her own kennel, her dream had come true.

Sharon went on to have a very competitive kennel taking her share of first place prizes competing in the Tahquamenon, Midnight Run, Apostle Islands and Pellston Icebox.  She also placed 2nd in the Beargrease 150, 5th in the UP 200, and had many other top finishes in her carrier.  Although Sharon is no longer racing competitively, she still keeps a handful of dogs that keep her life and her children busy.  Sharon works as a physical therapist assistant and home schools her three children.

Sharon was invited by the CopperDog 150 in 2009 to be a Race Judge at their first race and was invited back in 2010. Sharon serves double duty at the CopperDog 150, working as both race judge and teacher, sharing her knowledge, experience and insight with CopperDog 150 planners, officials, and volunteers.  Sharon's warm and friendly personality, keen insight, and calming disposition during hectic situations makes Sharon an ideal Race Judge for the CopperDog 150.

Sharon looks forward each year to judging at the CopperDog 150, spending time with good friends, and working for a great, fun race organization.

Dan "Trapper" Bergerson
Race Judge

Dan has raced sled dogs for 15 years all across the Midwest and in Maine, always a top finisher and champion on many races such as the Beargrease Marothon and mid-distance, UP 200 and Midnight Run, Can-am Crown, Grand Portage Passage, Mid-Minnesota and the Hinkley Stage Race.

Since retiring from competitive mushing in 2004 Dan was the founder of the Voyaguers Classic Sled Dog Race (formally the White Oak Classic) a race in northern Minnesota that has had 80 mushers attend annually for the past 6 years.

He works with the mushers in northern Minnesota and is member of the Itasca County Snowmobile Alliance where they have accepted and recognized dog mushing as a user of the snowmobile trails and a member of the trails task force to represent the mushing community.

He always remembers when he started to race and how important it was to receive help and guidance and wants to help those who are starting out as well as the veteran mushers become successful dog mushers and support a great sport.

Jason Makela, PhD
Chief Handler

 Board Member

Jason Makela grew up in Marquette, MI, and moved to Houghton in 2000 to pursue a  Mechanical Engineering degree at Michigan Tech.  After four years at MTU, with a B.S. degree in his pocket, Makela decided that he wasn't quite ready to depart the Keweenaw.  Throwing himself back into his studies and skipping over the masters program, Jason earned a doctoral degree in Mechanical Engineering with his dissertation on the topic of electric space propulsion technology.  Yup, he's a "Rocket Scientist".

Jason's advisor throughput graduate school, Brad King, had a few things going on that greatly interested Jason. The first was a space technology company owned by Brad, which now employs Jason.  The second, a little less conventional, was a dog team of Alaskan Malamutes.  A clear benefit of working with Brad was the opportunity to learn about the craft of dog sledding.

Growing up in the U.P., Makela has always been an avid outdoor enthusiast and dog lover. He rescued his first Siberian Husky in 2005 and currently has three dogs - not quite enough dog-power for a proper sled-dog team, but enough to keep him busy.

Jason and his wife, Lynn, became involved with the CopperDog 150 in 2010.  They volunteered for dog handling duty at the Calumet start and worked road crossings throughout the weekend.  On the third day of the race, Jason and Lynn were called to duty to help coordinate the start of the third leg of the race.

Having demonstrated his skills with managing race activities, Jason was recruited late in 2010 to help plan the 2011 race where he took on the dual roles of Musher Parking Coordinator and Dog Handling Coordinator.  In the 2010-2011 season, Jason showed his mettle.  His planning skills became immediately evident with his simple, elegant, and straight-forward approach to solving problems, his ability to analyze scenarios, his sense for doing the "right thing", and the professional engineering grade drawings he produced to communicate his plans. 

In March 2011, Jason demonstrated that he could not only devise excellent plans, but execute the plans with a level of energy and hustle that made most people tired just watching him sprint from team to team.  Jason was honored (and race planners were proud) when a musher at the awards banquet nominated him to receive the Sportsman Award, an award usually reserved for Mushers.

In mid 2011 Makela was nominated for a seat on the Board and was voted in.  In addition, Jason has taken the position of Chief Handler and will be responsible for planning and executing musher parking, race starts, and race stops in March 2012.

Makela has thoroughly enjoyed participating in the planning and coordinating of parts of the race, as well as getting to know more people in the local area and dog sled community.

Kiko de Melo e Silva - Chief Timer

Kiko only saw snow for the first time as a teenager. Dog sled racing?!? Think Disney movies.

Originally from São Paulo, Brazil, Kiko first arrived in the United States at age 15 in 1987 and the Copper Country in 1990 to attend Michigan Technological University… twice. Since then, the Copper Country has been home to this research engineer working for the department of civil & environmental engineering at his Alma matter.

A strongly believer in community involvement, hard-work, and parties, volunteering for the first CopperDog 150 was a no brainer (being gently led to help with race timing however was a “no brains”). But taking ownership and having a “whether you think you can or you can't, you're right” attitude, the first race was a feat and the second race better yet.

He has lived with dogs, cats, cows, horses, chickens, pigs, birds, some fish, an iguana, and a sheep. He is also good with numbers, pointing, and he can yell really loud. Kiko is strongly committed to making this regional event involving many peoples, cultures, and communities a sustainable success – he does not take his participation as Chief Timer and the race’s positive impact on local people and places lightly. To Kiko, a hopeless romantic, the CopperDog 150 brings the Copper Country alive as if it were a time machine going back to the thriving copper mining days of over 100 years ago.

Kiko lives with his wife and two kids in Calumet and the rest is history…or at least lots of snow. Look for him in his orange mining hat, light and all. Portuguese spoken.

Jeff Ladd, DVM
Chief Veterinarian

Dr. Ladd is a 1987 graduate of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State University. He is the owner of Keweenaw Veterinary Clinic near Chassell, MI. 

He has participated in sled dog medicine and races since 1990, to include the Beargrease, UP-200, Empire, Iditarod, and served as the first chief veterinarian in the inaugural CopperDog 150 in 2010.

He is a member of the ISDVMA.

Dr. Ladd has worked closely with planners of the CopperDog 150 providing valuable insights on how to run dog-friendly events build excellent dog-care into events.

Dr. Ladd looks forward to returning to the 2nd running of the CopperDog 150.

Jean Wilcox, DVM
Race Veterinarian

Jean Wilcox is a '94 graduate of Michigan State University's College of Veterinary Medicine. 

She has been involved in the UP sled dog races as a vet since 1995...she really likes the green parka! 

Her interests beyond vet work include her biking, beading, horses, bird hunting with her spectacular dogs and wilderness trips to canoe and camp with her husband, Burt and appropriate critters when allowed.

Thomas Gustafson, DVM
Race Veterinarian

Since 1994, Dr. Tom has served as a trail vet and chief vet on various sled dog races in the UP and Midwest.  Including the inaugural Copper Dog 150 in 2010, Dr. Tom has vetted at the UP 200 and Midnight Run, Tahquamenon Country Sled Dog Race, Seney 300, John Beargrease, The G-M Classic, and The Great Trail Sled Dog Race.  Dr. Tom practices in Manistique, MI where he co-owns the Thompson Veterinary Clinic.  He and his wife, Cory, and four children share their hobby farm with animals too numerous to mention individually.

Kendra Carlson, DVM
Race Veterinarian

Dr. Kendra Carlson is a 2003 graduate of the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine. After graduation Dr. Carlson completed a small animal medicine, surgery, and emergency/critical care internship at the University of Minnesota .

Dr. Carlson is an avid outdoor enthusiast and enjoys kayaking, hiking, snow shoeing, cross country skiing, and camping.

When she adopted her first husky cross it was only natural she tries skijoring, which led to an interest in sled dog sports. She has worked as a trail veterinarian on the UP200 and the Percy DeWolf sled dog races for the past two years and is hooked! Dr. Carlson is a member of the ISDVMA and has attended the annual conference as well as the Iditarod pre-race workshop.

For the past 3 years Dr. Carlson has done full time emergency/critical care medicine at the Fox Valley Animal Referral Center in Appleton, Wisconsin.

Her primary veterinary interests include sports medicine, emergency/ critical care, infectious disease, and toxicology. She shares her home with her skijoring partner, Abby (a Husky-shepherd cross) and two cranky cats.

Nick Vukich, DVM
Race Veterinarian

Dr. Nick Vukich is a 1995 graduate of North Carolina State College of Veterinary Medicine (yes, he know both doctors Topham, however they very rarely claim to know him). Dr. Vukich became involved with sled dog sports while growing up in Ohio after receiving his first husky as a birthday present. Dr. Vukich has worked many sled dog races in the lower US, Alaska and Canada , including the John Beargrease, UP200, Empire 130, Can Am 250, Iditarod, Percy DeWolfe, and the 2005 IFSS World Championships. Dr. Vukich is the 1996 recipient of the Doc Lombard Student Research Award and the 2000 Iditarod Golden Stethoscope award. Dr. Vukich co-owns Bay East Animal Hospital in Green Bay , Wisconsin . His primary veterinary interests include sports medicine, orthopedic surgery, wildlife and exotic animal medicine, and emergency and critical care.

Meghan Marks, CVT
Veterinary Technician

Meghan Marks starting working with sled-dogs in 2000 and is still loving every minute of it.  Her race experience includes pre-race work at the Iditarod, the UP200, the CopperBasin 300, the Percy De Wolfe, the Beargrease and the Yukon Quest.  Meghan has also participated in multiple research projects in Alaska and Canada with Dr. Mike Davis and his team.

As someone who truly loves winter and welcomes the grunt work that goes into care for sled-dogs, some of Meghan's favorite moments are when she's welcoming dogs into a checkpoint during the crisp coolness of a winter night.  Helping the mushers and caring for the dogs to have a great, safe race is always Meghan's first goal.

Keri Brainard
Veterinary Assistant

My name is Keri Mahoney. I am excited to participate in my second sled dog race and my first year at the CopperDog 150. The 2011 UP200 was my first experience being a veterinary assistant on the Vet Team and I loved it. I enjoy being outside and my usual hobbies include summer adventures of trail riding with my horse, camping and kayaking, so being able to offer some hands-on help to Veterinary team is a real joy for me.

I've always enjoyed watching the sled dog races, and as a child my parents brought me to the races in the Escanaba area, so getting to help with the behind-the-scenes workings has been very educational. For the last two years have been employed at the Gwinn-Sawyer Veterinary Clinic; where I have learned that being employed by Dr. Wilcox means being a dedicated worker and having a lot of fun... like working in the UP200 & CopperDog 150!

I graduated from Bay de Noc in 2003 with my Associates of Science and continued on at Northern Michigan University. Now I live in Rock, Michigan with my husband, Mike, three felines and one canine companion.  I have been a veterinary assistant for 6 years. Being from the Upper Peninsula, I enjoy all seasons, but having a new reason to enjoy winter is even better. This may only be my second experience with sled dog races, however, I am already looking forward to the many more ahead!

The Main Street Calumet Mission

The mission of Main Street Calumet is to guide the revitalization of an exciting and vibrant historic downtown district that is attractive to residents and visitors. In the process the program will forge partnerships, foster development of community leaders, and facilitate the rehabilitation/restoration of its buildings and spaces to be occupied by an economically successful mix of business services and residents.

The Main Street Calumet Vision

Calumet will become the Keweenaw community where people most want to visit and live. Healthy commercial and residential districts will satisfy the needs of a diverse population and interests while continuing to express the local copper mining heritage through preservation, education, and cultural events.

Visitors will be welcomed in all seasons and enjoy a wide variety of opportunities to experience the local natural and cultural environments enjoyed by residents.

Contact Main Street Calumet