The government of Canada's Yukon Territory is giving an additional $50,000 to organizers of the Yukon Quest to help fund community activities surrounding the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the international sled dog race between Fairbanks, Alaska and Whitehorse in the Yukon Territory.
These funds are in addition to $150,000 that the Ministry of Tourism and Culture provides each year. The community events take place in the months before the start of the race on Feb. 2, 2013.
According to a statement by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, this year's Quest will celebrate the history of mushers. Gold miners, trappers, and fur traders all used dog sleds, which inspired the creation of the Quest. The race alternates the direction it travels each year. In 2013, it will start in Whitehorse and end in Fairbanks.
A celebration of music and film inaugurate the celebration of race's 30th anniversary Oct. 26 in Whitehorse.
This story is posted on Alaska Dispatch as part of Eye on the Arctic, a collaborative partnership between public and private circumpolar media organizations. It was originally published in French.