U.P. 200 a Premier Winter Event
Posted by Amy Clickner on February 10, 2012
The U.P. 200 Sled Dog Race is set to kick off this Friday on Washington Street in Downtown Marquette for the 21st consecutive year. The 240 mile Iditarod qualifier is held on the third weekend in February every year, and brings spectators and mushers to Marquette County from across the State, country and even the world.
Like so many of our other premier winter events, such as the ski jumps at Suicide Hill in Ishpeming and the Noquemanon Cross-country Ski Race, the U.P. 200 and Midnight Run generate significant dollars for our area, and it only seems to be growing!
“This year promises to be the biggest yet for the U.P. 200 sled dog race. With the addition of new sponsors and an increases purse, what got off as a slow start for musher sign ups, has turned out to be exactly what the 200 planners anticipated. The cancellation of the Bear Grease race in Minnesota was good news for the 200 as mushers began signing up. Race planners are excited about starting both races downtown which will total approximately over fifty mushers starting off on Friday night,” explains Pat Black, Director of the Marquette Country Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB).
Black adds, “New to the race this year is the Musher Bus sponsored by Dr. Tim Hunt and hosted by Fred Huffman of Marquette Country Tours. The Musher Bus, provided by Checker Bus, will leave the Holiday Inn at 9:00 AM on Saturday morning traveling to Munising to watch the finish of the Midnight Run, then on to Grand Marais, arriving approximately 12:30 PM. Lunch will be available at a nominal cost and everyone will have the opportunity to visit with the mushers, dogs and volunteers in Grand Marais, before departing back to Marquette for a 5:00 PM arrival. The cost for this trip is $20.00 per person and reservations can be made by calling 228-3072.”
“Most of our hotels are full,” Black said, “so this tells me that we are looking at about 2,000 room nights at an average of $100 per night, which alone is about $250,000 in revenue. Multiply that by $150 per room in spending and we are looking at another $300,000. So in total, we would conservatively estimate between $500,000 and $750,000 into the county on that (U.P. 200) weekend.”
The U.P. 200 is also a draw for legislators and state officials. Each year the Marquette County Ambassadors hold a legislative reception, as do other companies and organizations, to capitalize on their visits. The Ambassadors invite all legislators in the State House and Senate, as well as State department heads, our federal representatives and all locally elected officials in Marquette County. Bringing these officials together during the U.P. 200 is a highly valuable use of everyone’s time while enjoying a great event.
Thanks to all who work tirelessly to create and implement these events and benefit our community in so many ways! Marquette County continues to draw an incredible amount of attention to our piece of the world, and it’s people like you who help our community make a huge impact!
For information on these and other winter events, visit the community-wide calendar of events at marquette.org. For more information on the Lake Superior Community Partnership call 226-9658 or email us at lscp@marquette.org.
