It takes a village – or many of them – to raise a successful Iron Dog, and this year, Iron Dog 37 honors our 2020 Hall of Fame inductees. The Hall of Fame ceremony will take place during the Racers Draw banquet, 6 p.m., Feb. 15, at the Westmark Fairbanks Hotel and Conference Center, 813 Noble St.

This year’s inductees are Dusty VanMeter, Cynthia Erickson, and Carole and Roger Huntington.

Dusty VanMeter

Dusty VanMeter is a born-and-raised Alaskan who has dabbled in every iconic Alaska occupation and activity there is. A commercial fisherman and oilfield worker by profession and a dog musher and snowmachiner by passion, he has spent his 50 years on this Earth wringing adventure from the state. From the time he was a kid, first in the Eagle River and Peters Creek area then migrating to the Kenai Peninsula when he was a pre-teen, VanMeter has loved the outdoors. He hunts, fishes, bikes, hikes and flies. All those years spent exploring Kasilof and the surrounding area taught VanMeter to be self-sufficient and confident – two key ingredients in becoming a successful competitive racer. 

Cynthia Erickson

One of Cynthia Erickson’s fondest memories growing up along the Yukon River is watching Iron Dog racers pass through her town as they raced along the trail. Born in Tanana, raised in Ruby and graduated from the high school in Galena, Erickson has spent her whole life in bush Alaska, and said Iron Dog is a much-anticipated event in these rural communities.

Carole and Roger Huntington

When the Iron Dog first started, Carole and Roger Huntington owned a snowmachine dealership with gas pumps along the Yukon River in Galena. It was only natural then that their shop would serve as a checkpoint for racers coming through the village. Carole said those early years were primitive compared to today’s races. Back then, racers trickled in over a 36-hour period, driving a rag-tag collection of sleds not made for the conditions. During that time, racers would refuel, eat and get much-needed sleep before racing onward.