(copperdog150.com) Shown is a poster for the upcoming fundraiser for CopperDog.

CALUMET — CopperDog 150, Inc. will host a fundraising spaghetti dinner from 3-6 p.m. on Feb. 1, 2020, at the Calumet Elks Lodge, at 25701 Wedge Street in Calumet. All proceeds from this event go to support the CopperDog 150.

“We just need a little help with our budget this year, and we decided to do this spaghetti dinner,” said CopperDog Board Chairman Doug Harrer, “and to be honest, I am hoping to come out with $2,000.”

Dine-in or take-out are available, but for those who choose to dine in, Bob Hiltunen will be performing in the upstairs of the lodge from 5-8 p.m.

Also available at the dinner will be CopperDog 150 merchandise. New 2020 apparel will be available, “hot off the press,” as Harrer is expecting it be completed and delivered on Friday.

“We also have our Spirit of the Trail coffee, a special coffee blend made for us by Keweenaw Coffee Works, located on Fifth Street,” said Harrer. “It will be available in one-pound bags, either ground or whole beans, which ever the customer wants.”

Harrer said that while there will not be a silent auction at the dinner, the organization is doing something interesting.

“We are going to have for sale, old musher bibs that we haven’t used over the years,” he said. “When the mushers go out on the sleds, each one is given a numbered bib, so maybe we only had 32 mushers, but we ordered 42 bibs,” Harrer said, “so we will be selling them, and we will also do a 50/50 raffle.”

CopperDog 150 is a 501(C)-3, non-profit organization, and is all-volunteer; no one in the organization is paid, Harrer said. The CopperDog, the race, and the org. are is fully funded by sponsorship, fundraising, and donations. It is run completely by volunteers.

Since its beginning, the CopperDog races have attracted mushers from around the world. While many mushers come from the Midwest, each race usually has several Canadian mushers competing, and in 2011 and 2012, a musher from South Africa competed.

Jeff Foss, race director, told the Calumet Village Council last Tuesday, that while the organization was anticipating approximately 4,000 spectators at last year’s race, there were probably over 5,000 who actually showed up. It is an event, he said, that continues to grow annually.

Cost per person for the fundraiser dinner is $10, Harrer said. That includes a great spaghetti dinner, listen to music, participate in the optional 50/50 raffle. CopperDog merchandise will be available.

“Our lead volunteers will be there to answer any questions about the race or volunteer opportunities available on race weekend,” said Harrer. “(The) main thing is come for the great food and the hospitality.”