People from across the country and Canada are headed to the Lakes Region for two major winter events this weekend.

The 79th Laconia World Championship Sled Dog Derby got under way on Friday, and the Great Rotary Fishing Derby will kick off on Saturday.Organizers of the sled dog race said that early in the week, the course looked almost unusable. Three snowstorms later, it was ready to go.”We got that 8 or 9 inches,” organizer Jim Lyman said. “We’re not sure where it came from but it did the trick.”Mushers from as far away as Alberta, Michigan and Quebec are joining dog teams from New Hampshire for the annual event.”(The dogs are) excited,” musher Sharon Welsh said. “They’re ready to go for tomorrow.”The sleds travel at an average speed of about 20 mph. Mushers said they can go faster, but it wears the dogs out too quickly. They also have to gauge the conditions, with a softer course making it tougher.The course on Friday was warm and a little mushy — pretty smooth, but not perfect. The course is expected to improve over the weekend.Teams are competing for more than $20,000 in prizes over the weekend.

Bobhouses Bring Luxury To Icy Lake

Also competing over the weekend will be the up to 6,000 people expected to sign up for the ice fishing derby on Lake Winnipesaukee. The holes have been drilled and bobhouses placed on the lake.While sitting in a wood shack on a frozen lake might not seem appealing, some ice fishers have gone all out to make their bobhouses more like home.”Every night, we came up with new ideas,” fisherman Stephen O’Brien said. “That’s how the kitchen was formed, and that’s how the bathroom was done.”O’Brien said he and his friends didn’t want to settle for less, and then they realized they didn’t have to.”We had just a little 5-by-5, and then one day, we decided to make it bigger,” he said.The bobhouse now has a satellite TV, wallpaper, a wood stove and a four-burner kitchen range and sink.”You’ve got to stay warm, and you’ve got to stay comfortable,” O’Brien said. “I don’t think people think we’re crazy. I think they look at us and they say, ‘They’re different.’”Organizers said anyone heading to the ice fishing derby should bring boots. There’s a thick layer of water and slush on the ice that could make things uncomfortable for anyone who’s not prepared.

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