CALUMET - The Copper Dog 150 has been in the planning for quite some time, but it wasn't until late this summer that things really started to fall into place.
In late August, Brian Tiura, was named race director, and since then three important agenda items were crossed off: the race is set for March 12 to 14, a logo has been designed and the Web site is up and running.
The logo and Web site were put together by local media company Brassard Media, and according to Tiura, the Web site is everything they could have hoped for.
"It's great because it looks professional, it's one of the most professional Web sites in sled dog racing, maybe just outside of the Iditarod," he said. "It definitely legitimizes us in the musher community when someone who is driving across the country sees this Web site."
The Web site can be found at CopperDog150.com, and it's somewhere Tiura is hoping people will get used to checking.
"It's a great marketing tool for us, in this day and age the Web site is the hub of how we communicate with the world," he said.
Along with the Web site came the logo.
"We were looking for something that symbolized the energy of the dogs, the historic nature of downtown Calumet and the entire Upper Peninsula," Tiura said. "We also wanted a copper theme, so the logo has some copper tones."
With the logo completed, it gives the entire event a legitimate feeling.
The Web site still contains several dead links, but Tiura said that will change soon, as "a lot of that will gel here once we're able to finalize a few more sponsors."
In the meantime, anyone interested in volunteering can let organizers know by e-mailing them at info@CopperDog150.com.
Michael H. Babcock can be reached at mbabcock@mininggazette.com.