Overview
- The all‑volunteer board, which announced the decision Friday, voted unanimously to retire the Lake Minnetonka Klondike Dog Derby after three straight cancellations.
- Organizers said warming winters have made thick lake ice and enough snow unreliable, leaving the course unsafe and the chance of meeting both needs only about fifty‑fifty.
- An attempt to move this year’s race to March 7 failed after record heat and rain left Lake Minnetonka unfit for sled‑dog racing.
- The race had drawn about 30,000 people to a 40‑mile route that started and ended in downtown Excelsior, boosting local businesses and supporting school outreach and charities.
- A farewell gathering is planned to thank supporters, with details to be posted on the group’s Facebook page.