Let the fun begin

The first Fur Rendezvous spanned three days and early events included skiing, hockey, boxing and sled dog races. Rondy executive director Susan Duck said Johnson got the idea in 1935 after a visit to the Fairbanks' winter carnival. Rondy is now a 10-day affair with 26 official events and dozens more that are partnerships with community groups. On Friday Fur Rondy kicks of its 75th anniversary, here are some of this year's highlights.

Friday through Sunday

World Championship Sled Dog Races

Sled dog races have been around as long as Rondy itself, and much like the event, the races have seen many changes since 1935. Early races were far from the competitive, high stakes, GPS tracked races seen in recent years.

"1946 was the first real race, but there were kid's races up until then," Duck said. "They were little ones and three-dog kid teams, but the parents were allowed to run in front of the dogs with a piece of meat or whatever would attract them."

Now mushers from around the world come for the races. Returning champ Blayne "Buddy" Streeper is defending his title against at least 30 other challengers. Duck said it's one of the larger pools of competitors since 34 participated in 1968. Streeper has won the race four of the last five years, but the Canadian has his work cut out for him this time around. Another four-time race champ, Egil Ellis, is returning and Iditarod veteran Jeff King is joining the fray with a sprint team on lease from Streeper.

Sunday

Running of the Reindeer

This is only the third running of the reindeer, but the event is already one of Rondy's biggest attractions. It all started as a joke by two morning show radio hosts, 106.5 KWHL's Bob Lester and Mark Colavecchio.

"We were going to make of bit out of it and just be silly," Colavecchio said. "And then we thought and we said 'You what, that's a good idea.' "

It took awhile to organize because -- not all that surprisingly -- insurance was hard to come by. It now draws hundreds of participants and thousands of spectators. Duck said the race ended up helping Rondy during a time of financial uncertainty.

"It was critical in our turnaround because it symbolized that we were listening to the community again and we were willing to try something new."

Colavecchio said part of the goal was to get more exposure for the festival, but there were no grand delusions.

"If it didn't work out, we would have just folded up the tent and said 'alright we tried; we took another shot.' But we're just ecstatic that it's now on its way to becoming ingrained into Fur Rondy; carnivals, sled dog races and running of the reindeer."

Other events

The list of classic Rondy events also includes; The Miner's and Trapper's Ball, the melodrama, snowshoe softball, the Jim Beam Jam and snow sculpture contest, the Texas hold 'Em tournament . They all return this year, but there are a few absences. The Rondy Grand Prix is gone for now due to its $75,000 price tag.

There are some new events on the schedule as well, such as sprints at sundown; a dog sled dual-start sprint race, dancing in pursuit of dreams; a music and dance performance featuring Native and European styles, as well as a snow golf and soccer tournament.

Fur Rondy has something for everyone and Colavecchio calls it "a testament to Alaskans."

"Where else would our kids actually want to go out and brave cold temperatures to go on a ride? When I first came up here I didn't get it, but then when I had kids I understood -- it's cabin fever.