Can Am Crown sled dog race cancelled

Fort Kent, Maine (WAGM) - Another major outdoor event has been cancelled. The Can Am Crown sled dog races set for March will not be held this year. Can Am President Dennis Cyr says it was not an easy decision, but one the Board felt they needed to make.

Dennis Cyr:” It’s the largest event during the year and it is probably one of the larger outdoor events in the State of Maine. It was a difficult decision we debated for many months and I guess that common sense and safety prevailed.”

The event brings together dogs and mushers from throughout the United States and Canada and thousands of spectators line Main Street to watch the start of the races. Cyr says they have heard from several mushers who agree with their decision.

Cyr:” They have approved our decision. They all understand it. Safety for the fans and the community and the sport itself. We didn’t want Can Am to be associated with a Super Spreader event. We felt this was the best decision we could do at this point in time.”

The Board of Directors will now focus on the event in 2022.

Cyr:” We are taking a few different projects. We will be improving our website. We got a couple of grants so we are going to develop a video for the 2022 race. We will take a year to improve the Can Am and hopefully we will come back better and greater than ever before.”

Cyr says the Board of Directors has talked about holding a virtual event with no prizes being awarded. They have not made a final decision on that yet, but some feel this would give mushers a chance to feel involved in the race even though they won’t be in the St John Valley.

Cyr:” Just to keep the mushers in the spirit of the Can Am and give them something to say I did run the Can Am it was a virtual run this year. There is a little bit of interest in doing that. We think that maybe fun. It will keep the sport of dog sledding at least in the back of a lot of people’s mind.”

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