11Th Annual Sisu Ski Fest Kicks
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Call (906) 932-4449 Coming Saturday! CROSS COUNTRY SKI RACES Go Pack Go Ironwood, MI CROSS COUNTRY SKI RACES LaFleur has made big Redsautosales.com Start at ABR Trails & impact in 1st year as “Finnish” Downtown Ironwood Packers coach SPORTS • 9 Since 191 9 DAILY GLOBE Friday, January 10, 2020 Mostly cloudy yourdailyglobe.com | High: 20 | Low: 5 | Details, page 2 Finance committee RACE THIS WAY approves letter of intent on Hagemann building By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] HURLEY – Iron County appears interested in purchasing property in the city of Hurley to house its health department. The Iron County Board of Supervisors’ Finance Committee recommended Thursday that the full county board sign a letter of intent to purchase the former Hagemann dentist office on 5th Avenue that currently houses the NorthLakes Community Clinic’s Hurley location. The letter puts the approxi- mate price of the property at $80,000, according to Iron County Clerk Michael Saari, which is the value the property was appraised for. Even with whatever work is needed to make the building work best for the health depart- ment offices, board members felt the county would come out ahead by purchasing the proper- ty rather than continuing to rent the current office space at 502 Copper St. “Even with the modifications, Submitted photo we should still be in the CROSS COUNTRY ski trail grooming crews from Active Backwoods Retreat (ABR) in Ironwood on Thursday work on the race course ($100,000 cost) area,” board for Saturday’s Sisu Ski Fest and are pictured here passing by the iconic Hiawatha statue. chairman Joe Pinardi said. “So within five years of rent, (the sav- ings) should cover it.” The county pays roughly 11th annual Sisu Ski Fest kicks off $20,000 a year in rent at the cur- By TOM LAVENTURE charm of local architecture and having the high school and college students, recreation- [email protected] Friday registration events at the Ironwood al families and seniors – the people who IRONWOOD – The 11th Sisu Ski Fest Memorial Building, along with the Race want to participate but not necessarily com- FINANCE — page 5 promises to be the biggest ever but it won’t Expo from 4 to 10 p.m. The post-race party peting.” lose it’s small-town charm, according to will also be held at the Memorial Building This will be the fourth year for the Fat organizers. starting 11 a.m. Saturday with pasties and Bike Try Out The Trails event to close the Hurley school There are 750 racers who pre-registered mojakka Finnish stew from Rigoni’s Bakery. 2020 Sisu festival at 11 a.m. Sunday at for Saturday’s cross-country ski race as com- The awards ceremony at 1:30 p.m., she said. Wolverine Nordic Ski Trail, at the intersec- pared to 680 skiers last year, said Jackie Pow- The Historic Ironwood Theatre host the 6 tion of Snow Summit Drive and Powderhorn bus gets big ers, Sisu race director. Spectators might find p.m. post-race party on Saturday that is free Loop in Bessemer. the best locations to watch at Kinnunen to participants and community with live The Sisu Dirt Crew hosts the event as part push Road, Riverside Drive and at the “Finnish music by Copper Box. of its series of annual mountain bike events. HURLEY – A Hurley school line” at Aurora and Lowell streets down- Another decision that helped bring racers There will be a variety of fat bikes available bus was briefly detained after town. back to Sisu Ski Fest after a dip in attendance to ride on a groomed single track. getting stuck on Wednesday “We had skiers from 14 states participat- was to reduce the race from a 42K event to a “It’s about promoting fat biking as anoth- morning. ing last year and the majority of those racers 30K race four years ago, Powers said. As the er silent sport for the wintertime,” Powers The contracted school bus are coming from out of town,” Powers said. first major ski race of the year it made sense said. had already brought the students The racers start at the Active Backwoods that most racers prefer a shorter race, she Sisu Dirt Crew was part of the crew that to Hurley K-12 School and with Retreat (ABR) course at 9:30 a.m. for the 30K said. helped make course improvements this year no passengers it was returning to Sisu Classic skate; at 10 a.m. for the 30K The American Birkebeiner in Hayward, include taking out a challenging downhills the bus garage, said Kevin Freestyle, and 11 a.m. for the 15K Heikki Wisconsin in February, the largest cross- and curves near the start where people were Genisot, administrator for Hur- Lunta racers in both classic and free-style country ski race in North America, and the crashing, to avoid pileups with other skiers. ley K-12 School District. The bus divisions. The first 30K racers should start Great Bear Chase Ski Marathon in Calumet The route through the landfill near French crossing the “Finnish” line downtown at that follows in March, are both 50K and 55K Town Road was diverted along the treeline to was stopped at the intersection of 10th Avenue and U.S. 51 when around 11:15 a.m. events that draw racers toward the end of the avoid icy winds that were freezing skiers Approximately 220 local volunteers put a season when they are more conditioned for faces. the driver was unable to move the bus because of icy roads. face on the event that has the Sisu Ski Fest the marathon events, she said. “I think they are really going to be happy “The driver called the bus growing in numbers at a time when other The Sisu Ski Fest also has events for all with the race course this year,” Powers said. garage to receive a tug to get mov- races are seeing declines in participation, level of skiers to have fun as well, Powers With temperatures under freezing all ing again,” Genisot said. Powers said. That has a lot to do with the said. week and a race day forecast of 10 degrees ability to host a competitive race on a chal- The Depot Dash and Snowshoe Book the existing 17-inch base snow on most of Hurley Police Department said the call came in about the lenging and scenic course, and with a small Walk gives kids ages 10 and under a chance the course should be intact for the racers. stuck bus at 7:53 a.m. Police town approach that provides a unique expe- to put on cross-country skis and snowshoes Individuals and some area businesses responded to help prevent an rience that is representative of the communi- in an atmosphere of fun and learning on Fri- have volunteered to tend parts of the course accident. ty and local culture, she said. day from 4 to 5:30 p.m. in the park next to this week and will continue to do so into A second bus arrived to give “They (the racers) are staying here, visit- the Historic Ironwood Depot. race day. the stuck bus a push. Both buses ing, dining out and creating an impression There is also a Hauska Hiihto 5K Fun Ski The city of Ironwood employees and cleared the scene in a matter of that has given Ironwood a reputation as with a 1 p.m. start time from the City Garage streets department helped close roads where minutes, according to Hurley friendly and hospitable with small town at 200 Penokee Road. the race course crosses. The Friends of the Police Department. charm,” Powers said. “It’s another thing the locals might be —Daily Globe staff Part of that impression comes from the interested in,” Powers said. “It’s geared for SISU — page 5 Ontonagon EDC seeks grooming Technical issues delay paper delivery Due to a problem with the plate processor, the Daily Globe was funds from Michigan DNR unable to print Thursday’s edition in time for delivery that day. Subscribers will receive Thursday’s edition inserted inside today’s paper. Thursday’s edition is also available for purchase at By JAN TUCKER at its annual meeting Wednes- He added that the volunteers the Daily Globe office. [email protected] day by member Ship Schulz. must also do signing of the trails Both Thursday’s and today’s papers were printed off site. Until ONTONAGON – The Onton- The resolution describes the dif- and the bookwork required by the processor is fixed, the paper will continue to be printed off site agon County Economic Devel- ficulty finding volunteers for the MDNR. The resolution calls with an earlier deadline. opment Corporation will ask Maintaining the over 250 miles for legislation and/or a shift in An unrelated outage of internet services to businesses in down- the Michigan Department of of trails and note the clubs may the State’s gas tax to include town Ironwood overnight and into Thursday morning caused Natural Resources to provide be required to pay people to do additional funding for snowmo- Thursday’s online edition to be posted later than usual. Bill more funds for snowmobile the necessary work. Schulz said bile trails in the Western U.P, Morand of Charter Spectrum Business told the Daily Globe the out- grooming in the Western Upper that volunteers also must pay age was a “very isolated and very local incident, and service was Peninsula. The proposed resolu- for their own gas to get to the fully restored.” tion was presented to the EDC work site.