WILMINGTON — Margie Eads, the Clinton County Juvenile Court mediation coordinator, organized a contest for county employees based on the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race across Alaska. Items collected are for the benefit of the Clinton County Veterans Services, and included more than 332 paper products and personal hygiene items.
All of Clinton County Juvenile Court Judge Chad L. Carey’s employees, along with a few other county government employees, participated in the local contest.
In early March, 68 mushers left Anchorage, Alaska headed to Nome. There were 15 checkpoints along the way, and they faced many obstacles and weather conditions on their 998-mile journey.
In the Clinton County Probate Office, a musher board was updated every day with all the mushers placed on the checkpoint they had checked in last. Several awards were given out along the trail prior to the finish line.
This year’s county employee winner is Joy McGowan with musher Joar Leifseth Ulsom. Ulsom crossed the finish line in Nome to be first, finishing in nine days, 12 hours and 15 minutes, according to a media release.
As first-place finisher among county employees, McGowan won a new Matchbox truck.
The lastfinisher in the sled dog race receives a Red Lantern Award for perseverance. Georgia Carr, fiscal officer, whose musher Magnus Kallenborn was the final finisher, received her own version of a red lantern to proudly display until next year.
