SERUM RUN— Leonard Seppala’s lead dog Togo lead Seppala’s team over 82 miles in the Great Race of Mercy to deliver diphtheria antitoxin to Nome in 1925.

Nome celebrates centennial anniversary of 1925 Serum Run

Eighteen events and eight talks are scheduled to take place during the next week’s anniversary celebration to honor the mushers, dogs, medical personnel, and decision-makers involved in the heroic efforts to save lives in 1925, when a relay of dog teams brought diphtheria antitoxin from Nenana to Nome to stave off the developing diphtheria epidemic.

The group spearheading the event is the Nome Kennel Club. “As the oldest dog mushing club in the world (est. 1907), the NKC is proud to be part of this historic occasion, helping to preserve and celebrate the vital role sled dogs have played in Alaska’s history,” NKC stated in a press release.  

The kickoff event on Saturday January 25 is the sled dog themed Story Hour at the Kegoayah Kozga Public Library at 10:30 a.m. followed by a Fun Run put on by the NKC, where the community can join sled dogs at the snow dump from noon to 5 p.m. for ski relays, skijoring, kick sledding, sprint races and free rides for kids. 

Some events are going on all week like the dog food and straw drive, at which the NKC is collecting food and straw donations that will be distributed to regional villages.

There is also a vaccination week being held at the Nome Animal House, January 27 through 31 where all vaccines are 10 percent off.

Other events are one time only, like the Serum Run Trivia Night at Alaska Native Brotherhood on January 28 at 7:30 p.m.

The museum is hosting a series of talks related to the week. Dawyn Sawyer, physician assistant and historian will give two talks, one about the medical side of the story and the other will talk about all the mushers who were involved.

The National Park Service will host a talk that goes over the whole timeline of the 1925 run to Nome. 

Two Nome mushers, Stephanie Johnson and Kirsten Bey, who participated in the 2020 Serum Run Trail expedition, will speak about their journey, the landscape and conditions endured on the trail from Nenana to Nome.

There will also be a presentation series on January 29 that give historical context to the event. After each event, a question-and-answer period will happen. Zoom links will be available for remote viewing.

Museum Director Cheryl Thompson is overseeing the talks and will be showing the short film “Icebound: The Greatest Dog Story Ever Told” throughout the week.

The whole week will culminate in a community celebration at the Mini Convention Center on Sunday, February 2 from noon to 4 p.m. Native Youth Olympics games will be held, the Nome-St. Lawrence Island dance group will perform and a meal will be shared. Nomeites will await the dog teams reenacting the historic run and watch them bring in the “serum” to Nome.

 

The Nome Nugget

PO Box 610
Nome, Alaska 99762
USA

Phone: (907) 443-5235
Fax: (907) 443-5112

www.nomenugget.net

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