Let’s get one thing straight: I am NOT a festival person. I’m a hardcore introvert and I rarely find it worth it to brave the crowds and complicated parking situations for so-so experiences. However, my love of winter tends to trump my disdain for festivals. The last three weekends have had some really great reasons to get outside and enjoy the intense Minnesota Winter. Here is my round-up:
Lake Harriet Winter Kite Festival
This one was pretty hilarious, with lots of fun and imaginative kites to see, and it was just such a different experience to fly a kite on the middle of the lake in winter! The best part was definitely seeing the gleeful looks on my kids’ faces as they successfully flew their kites! It was a first for both and they were thrilled.
It was pretty crowded though, and half of our group ended up getting separated for quite some time while we looked for each other. They also ran out of hot chocolate right when we needed some the most. We got stuck in Linden Hills trying to get home on the super narrow and crowded streets. If we go again, we will make better plans for transportation as well as a better plan for getting separated (plus maybe BYO Hot chocolate?)
Luminary Loppet
This was the one that nearly didn’t happen. We had all sorts of obstacles: Theo didn’t want to go, didn’t want to wear snow pants, Gwennie fell asleep on the way there (it started at her usual bedtime) and then the parking situation was horrendous. Once we got out of the car, I realized that I had forgotten their winter jackets.
Eventually we found a teeny-tiny parking spot, woke up Gwennie, shoved everybody into their gear and wrapped blankets around them with the promise of a glow stick and hot chocolate.
I had seen pictures of this event but had never been. It was truly magical. My husband and I skied and he pulled the kids behind him in a sled. There was a path lit by luminaries around Lake of the Isles, with different stops for hot chocolate, ice sculptures, and music. It was a (relatively) warm winter night and the kids were totally entranced by all the action. Our favorite part were a cluster of ice sculptures on the ice that were moving in a circle—I'm still not sure how it was powered—but it was so cool to see.
We got a lot of mileage out of the glow sticks once we were home, and the kids were asleep instantly when they got in their beds. Winning.
Klondike Dog Derby
Photo: RICHARD TSONG-TAATARII – MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE
Oh boy, this was the winner. And not just because I went without my kids. I think.
I volunteered for the first annual Klondike Dog Derby in Excelsior. My role as volunteer was to check the mushers’ sled bags before the event started, which meant that I met with my assigned mushers to go through their list of required items, such as dog booties, a headlamp, and an axe (still not quite sure why this was necessary on a 40-mile race, but ok).
I got to meet the mushers and their proud and excited families as they geared up for the race, and each one was kind, gracious, and clearly very passionate about this sport.
During my favorite check of 19-year old Chloe Beatty, I commented on how she was the most organized musher so far, and her mom proudly said, “I get to take the credit for that!” She had clearly organized all the necessary items into a plastic bin in the sled. I said, “I’m a mom, too, and yes, you get to take the credit!”
Once my job was done, I headed down to the start on Main Street in Excelsior to watch a handful of teams take off on their two-minute intervals, then wandered further down onto the lake where the crowd dispersed a bit and I could get a great view of the teams. It was a snowy day and the visibility was getting worse throughout the morning, so there was this beautiful point on the lake where the teams turned away from the crowds and they looked simply magical before disappearing around a bend to continue on their way.
The day before, I HAD brought my kids to a pre-race event, “Hug-a-Husky,” where we got to pat the sweet racing dogs and talk a little bit with the mushers. My husband was struck by how amazingly friendly the dogs were and how well they did with hoards of people trying to get the most instagrammable shot (myself included).
While I left my kids at home this year on race day, they had fun watching the livestream from home (Gwennie claims she saw me, but I’m skeptical…) and playing with the stuffed huskies I brought them.
Dogsledding is such a special and unique sport and it was amazing to play a small part in the huge production that went into race weekend. So many people, organizations, businesses, and teams came together to put this event on and I am already counting down to the 2021 Derby.
