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Staff Writer

For the second year in a row, guests of the Ham Lake Snowbowl were blessed with beautiful weather that helped draw a large crowd.

The fourth annual Snowbowl took place Saturday (Feb. 13) at Ham Lake Park with an estimated 2,500 people attending, according to Chris Mickman, chairman of the Snowbowl committee.

“I just think it’s a great way to get together with other people in the community that share your interests,” said Josh Root, who volunteered at the event with Boy Scout Troop 506.

One of the first events to kick off Saturday’s festivities was skijoring, which is when one or more dogs pull a cross country skier. About 40 people participated, according to the activity organizer Jim Benson, president of The Midwest Skijorers Club.

Later in the morning, several dog sled racers competed.

The skill levels varied among the competitors in the races. Competitors could choose to race in the professional or novice class. A married couple out of East Bethel participated in skijoring, each pulled by one of their German shepherds. Kris Brown had first got involved with the sport a decade ago. Her husband Corey was trying skijoring for the first time Saturday.

Many similar activities returned including dog sled rides, games like miniature golf, bowling and hockey.

There were also new events. The day concluded with about 275 people attending the first Snowball dance at the Majestic Oaks Golf Course clubhouse, Mickman said.

A broomball tournament was also a new addition to this year’s Snowbowl.

There was an ice fishing competition like previous years, but it was hosted by Quad Central Motorsports of Ham Lake for the first time. It did not matter how many fish a person caught. The winner chosen randomly through a drawing received a CF Moto 500 ATV.

About 500 people were in the ice fishing contest, Mickman said.

The winner of the $500 medallion hunt prize was 15-year-old Spencer Nelson, who also won the $500 prize last year.

Just after noon, staff from the Anoka County Sheriff’s Office held a special ceremony by the fishing pier for the late Eugene “Tony” Fitzloff, a sheriff’s deputy who was assigned to Ham Lake but who died from a heart attack at the age of 50 on Jan. 21, 2009. An engraved stone monument was placed near the pier to honor his memory.

The Snowbowl had a couple of hiccups, according to Mickman. A Wisconsin man was unable to bring the dog pulling competition equipment to Ham Lake because his trailer hitch broke that morning. The helicopter rides were delayed because of morning fog.

In all, Mickman was once again pleased with how the event came together.

“We’ve just been so happy with the whole event,” Mickman said.

Eric Hagen is at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it