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A few hundred people gathered outside the roughly 100-foot lawn of Iron Pier Apartments near Syracuse’s inner harbor on Sunday, anticipating the start of the second Winterfest human sled race. People converged on the sides of the lawn to watch teams of five, with four shooters and a rider, race their own custom sleds.

All proceeds from participating runners – who each paid a fee to secure their spot – and raffles went to Helping Hounds Dog Rescue, a nonprofit focused on connecting unwanted dogs with families in Central New York since 2009. With the help of dedicated staff, volunteers and donations, Helping Hounds Dog Rescue has successfully secured loving homes for over 1,700 dogs.

Helping Hounds Dog Rescue volunteer Angela Paparo was happy to help organize the Winterfest human sled race this year, since COVID-19 caused a year-long hiatus from the event in 2021. She hopes the race will become a traditional annual event.

“(The event) helps bring a community together — it keeps people moving during the winter, especially during Winterfest,” Paparo said. “We bring in volunteers and dogs, so it gives them some visibility. And it really brings people out and brings them together. Everyone seems to really enjoy that.

Merissa Lynch, marketing director of COR Development Company, a real estate company that sponsored the event alongside Pepsi and Meier’s Creek Brewing Company, was also looking forward to the human dog sled race.

“COR believes in giving back to the community and working with a non-profit organization like Helping Hounds. We are able to give back to a wonderful, well-known non-profit organization in the Syracuse area, as well as bring the community to have fun during the winter months,” Lynch said.

Although there was enough snow for attendees to enjoy the event, it was a bit chilly. Olivia Orlando, owner of Blueberries and Lace, a mobile cafe and bakery, sold hot chocolate at the event.

“Tons of people here today I think because it was so cold,” Orlando said. “Everyone wants coffee and hot chocolate.”

Orlando purchased his trailer in 2017, which took a year to grow into an established Blueberries and Lace business. The company was up and running in 2018, two years before the first WinterFest human sled race in 2020. Orlando has been participating ever since and is excited to continue to do so.

She plans to attend other similar events, such as the Syracuse Food Truck Takeover on Wednesday nights during the summer. Orlando hopes community events like the human dog sled race will help it open a local store soon.

At the last race, there was a close call between QPK Design, an architecture firm and another event sponsor, and the Hellwig Family Speed ​​Demons. They started out strong, looking like a tie – then in the final moments, the Hellwig family gathered momentum and won the Winterfest human sled race.

WARNING: Adriana Lobo was the co-chair of community engagement for the student association. She no longer holds that position.