With little snow on the ground but frigid temperatures evoking the great north, dogsled teams pulling wheeled carts — rather than sleds — delighted visitors who braved the cold Saturday, Jan. 17 at the Glenview Park District’s event, called Robert’s Yukon Adventure Day.
It was the fourth year of the event, held at The Grove National Historic Landmark, 1421 Milwaukee Ave., Glenview.
The “Robert” in “Robert’s Yukon Adventure Day” refers to Illinois’ first naturalist, Robert Kennicott, who grew up at The Grove and took two expeditions to the Yukon in 1859 and 1865.
“This event is a great way to celebrate The Grove’s rich heritage,” said Lorin Ottlinger of Glenview, The Grove’s director.
“Robert Kennicott spent spent a lot of time in The Yukon and what a perfect day we have to simulate the Yukon.
“Everybody loves coming out and seeing the dog sleds and the dogs and walking around and experiencing a little taste of what Robert Kennicott might have experienced back in the 1800s,” Ottlinger added.
Diane J. Michalski, The Grove’s recreation program supervisor, said, “Robert’s Yukon Adventure Day gets individuals out in the winter and brings people of all ages and backgrounds together around shared learning, fun and local heritage.
“By embracing winter, a season when people might otherwise stay indoors, the event gets the community outside together.
“The Grove itself is a historic and ecological hub in Glenview,” Michalski added, “a place community members visit year-round for nature, history and learning.”
The four-hour midday event included snow shoeing and other snow activities, hot cocoa and s’mores by a campfire, learning opportunities, an indoor snowball fight and the running of dog sledding teams (with a wheeled cart) by Adopt-a-Husky, Inc. of Carol Stream, founded in 1998. Glenview’s dog team appearance was sponsored by the Grove Heritage Association.
“Unfortunately, there’s not enough snow to do a whole lot with, so we will be on wheels,” said Noel Dagley of Bartlett, treasurer of Adopt-A-Husky.
“We need at least four to five inches to run on snow (without wheels via a cart),” Dagley said.
But, “We’re out here to show what Siberian huskies were bred to do,” Dagley said. “We’re also out here to educate the public about Siberian huskies and sledding and also about rescue.”
“Siberian huskies are great family pets, they’re good with children,” Dagley added. “However, they are not for everybody because they do require a lot of exercise and mental stimulation and if you do not supply that, they come up with their own and typically that’s not something desired for your house.
“They’re also Houdinis, so they try to escape wherever they’re at, so you have to make sure they’re in a secure place at all times,” Dagley said.
“They were bred to run over 100 miles in a day.”
Keani, 3, a female Siberian husky, was brought to participate by her owner Mary Hanner of Marengo.
Hanner adopted Keani last August. Hanner joked that by Keani being outside that day, it might, “get rid of her energy.
“At home, she (Keani) likes to play ball,” Hanner said.
David Kosnik of Morton Grove and his children Emily, 7, a second-grader and Louisa, 11, a sixth-grader, are frequent visitors at The Grove.
“Today’s a special day to see the dogs,” David Kosnik said.
Here to experience dog sledding was Tessie Lussen, 10, a fifth-grader from Evanston and Tessie’s parent Susan Gihring.
“She loves dogs, she wanted to come out and see these sled dogs,” Gihring said.
“I like the dogs,” Tessie said. “I think they’re really, really cute.”
