FORT KENT, Maine — The recent cancellation of the upcoming 2024 Can-Am Crown Sled Dog Race in Fort Kent dealt an economic and spiritual blow to the community.
The event was canceled on Sunday due to unseasonably warm weather, which could lead to a number of safety issues for the dogs. The race was canceled in 2021 due to safety concerns amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Organizers in 1994 called off the Can-Am mid-race due to extremely warm temperatures, which hit 60 degrees by the afternoon.
This year marks the first time the race was ever called off due to weather before it even began.
Many businesses in the region depend on the Can-Am, which is arguably the town’s largest annual event, to give them a significant boost.
“It’s disappointing, especially for our restaurants and lodging,” said Town Manager Suzie Paradis. “And for spectators, a lot of people like to travel from down south to come see the dogs, so it’s disappointing that we won’t be hosting the races this year, but I understand that the weather has been different this year. So it’s understandable. We don’t want to put anyone in jeopardy.”
Paradis said that the town does not have a specific calculation for how much revenue the event brings in. Paradis said it draws about 1,000 people and that if each person spent about $25 on average getting gas or going to restaurants, it would bring in a significant amount of revenue to local businesses.
She said that organizers are reaching out to sponsors to see if they want to hold their sponsored money for next year.
Amber Rankine, executive director for the Greater Fort Kent Area Chamber of Commerce, said the cancellation was unfortunate.
“I think all parties involved tried really hard in maintaining and sustaining anything they possibly could in order to make this successful,” Rankine said. “But the reality is that it comes down to the safety of everybody involved, whether it be the mushers, the animals, and the employees and volunteers that work behind the scenes.”
Carl Theriault, program director at the Fort Kent Outdoor Center, said the cancellation will be a blow to community spirit.
“It’s a big tradition,” he said. “It’s the biggest sled dog in the east, by far. It’s a great weekend that brings a lot of people together. It’s all volunteer, and there are great sponsors that have been following it for years. It’s like a big winter carnival, in a way, for the town.”
Local eateries like the Swamp Buck Restaurant and Lounge will also be hit hard by the cancellation. The Can-Am weekend is their busiest time of year. Many workers also count on tips received during the Can-Am, as well as snowmobile season in general, which may be cut short this year due to warmer temperatures.
Shelley Bruey, a prep cook at the restaurant, said she has worked there for 12 years and that the Can-Am is always an exciting time for the town. And many workers look forward to seeing regulars from miles away each year.
“The Can-Am is huge, and it’s the excitement of the town,” she said. “We’re right in town, and we get excited to see new people, or people that only come up once a year.”
The race brings in mushers from Maine, Canada, and beyond. According to the lineup on the official website, some participants were coming from as far as New Hampshire, Vermont, Michigan, Quebec City, Ontario, and France.
Because it requires such a long trip for some, racers often book hotel rooms a year in advance. Carl Pelletier, general manager of the Northern Door Inn hotel in Fort Kent, said racers staying at his hotel for the Can-Am will often book their stay for the following year before heading back home.
And though this year’s event was canceled, Pelletier said many racers have just booked rooms for next year’s event, which according to the official website is slated to begin on March 1 of next year.
And though the hotel was booked solid for the upcoming Can-Am, Pelletier said they had a large backlog of snowmobilers who asked to be put on a waiting list in case something happens.
“But the way the forecast is going,” he said, “that’s not going to happen either.”
The hotel has a total of 43 rooms, 38 of which are available for nightly rental. They were completely booked for the Can-Am, but beyond that Pelletier said it’s not uncommon for the hotel to be totally booked with tourists during the summer or with snowmobilers in the winter. They also get steady business from a myriad of different sources, whether it’s a truck driver delivering to a local store, armored vehicle drivers who come to service ATMs, contractors from Massachusetts, or any time the state works on the town’s roads.
“It has a big economic impact in the area,” Pelletier said of the Can-Am. “Gas stations, restaurants, lodging — we’re not the only game in town. There’s some AirBnbs, and some sporting camps that put people up.”
As far as the changing weather is concerned, Pelletier said he has seen winters like this before, but also added that when he was a kid, it would sometimes get to 40 degrees below zero in January, with snow piled up to the top of telephone poles.
“The weather is definitely different,” he said. “But like Mark Twain said, ‘Everybody complains about the weather, but nobody does anything about it.’”
