Sammy, the smiling Good Sam Club mascot, really gets around, from state and provincial Samborees to Camping World/Good Sam Rallies. This February and March, the club’s halo-topped front man made his way north to Alaska, meeting a champion Iditarod musher and waving the green flag at the Iron Dog snowmobile race.
After arriving at the Big Lake, Alaska, home of Good Sam State Directors Darwin and Sheila Fischer, Sammy checked out the action at the 2013 Iron Dog, the world’s longest snowmobile race. The event’s professional riders speed nearly 2,000 miles across ice and snow for money and prizes. Sammy not only met winners Marc McKenna and Dusty Van Meter, he dropped the green flag at the starting line for the noncompetitive riders.
Next, Sammy spent a day at Happy Trails Kennels with world-class dog musher and four-time Iditarod champion Martin Buser, who showed him around while readying his dogs for the 2013 Iditarod. Sammy was likewise on hand for the ceremonial start of the 1,049-mile dogsled race, cheering the dog-and-musher teams through the streets of Anchorage.
The Good Sam mascot was all smiles at Anchorage’s Fur Rendezvous, posing for photos with the 2013 Rondy queen and her court and taking part in many activities, including the traditional blanket toss.
Another road trip took Sammy 350 miles through a blizzard to the town of North Pole to congratulate the Tundra Rollers on their 40th year as a Good Sam chapter and present them with a certificate marking the occasion.
After a couple of days’ rest, Sammy waved goodbye and headed south, saying: “I hope to see everyone visit Alaska for the 2014 Samboree!”
Find out more about Alaska Good Sam chapters and activities at alaskagoodsamclub.com. Learn more about chapters across North America at GoodSamClub.com/chapters.
