The 'secrets' of bar stool racing revealed

Bobby Donk knows a thing or two about racing. It helps if you wear a colorful hat. Drinking a beer while sliding down the slope is not a requirement but certainly isn’t discouraged, and your craft should be the real deal, preferably borrowed from your favorite drinking establishment.

This is no ordinary race of course. It’s the annual bar stool races held during Cabin Fever Days. Donk, of Whitefish, has been racing down Sugar Hill in Martin City since 1998. He won the “non-steerable” title in 1999 and 2001 and said he has about 10 years worth of “second places.”

The secret to a good run?

“The pusher is really key to winning a race,” he said. “You really need a good pusher.”

The best beers are in a can or cup — glass bottles are hazardous in a crash. And you don’t want to be too drunk or you’ll tip over.

Donk’s “sled” is a bar stool lifted from a Whitefish establishment tacked to a pair of old skis.

“I just have to wax them,” he said.

For competitor Reggie Duncan, he’s preferred more elaborate sleds over the years. The Coram resident has been at it as long as Donk. One year, Duncan won a race in a pirate ship. Another year he let his beard grow long and rode down in a ZZ Top-themed Ford Eliminator sled. Another year, he built a sled that looked like one of Glacier National Park’s Red Buses.

Now retired, the Red Bus sled still sits outside the Packer’s Roost bar. Duncan said he’s going to restore it and make it into a kiddy ride.

Duncan said he won’t be racing this year — he’s overseeing the mountain man competition at Packer’s Roost on Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m.

Qualifying runs for the bar stool races start at 1 p.m.on Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 9-10. Finals will take place Sunday at 3 p.m. Sign-ups will take place Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to noon. A complete schedule of events is in this newspaper.

The event is in its 35th year. It was founded by Jerry Downing and friends in 1977 with eight people.

Today, the event draws thousands to the Canyon community to shake off the winter blues and raise money for local nonprofits.

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Cabin Fever Days schedule

The 35th annual Cabin Fever Days and Barstool Ski Races will take place Friday through Sunday, Feb. 8-10. The wild and unusual event is a fundraiser for the Martin City Fire Department, Canyon QRU, Canyon Head Start and the Canyon Kids Christmas Fund.

The barstool races will take place on Sugar Hill in Martin City, with sign-ups on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to noon, qualifying runs on Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m., finals on Sunday at 3 p.m. and awards presented at Packers Roost on Sunday at 7 p.m.

All events require a Cabin Fever Days button. Some events require an entry fee. Buttons are $3 available at all Canyon bars. A $5 get out of jail button is also available. Dogs are not allowed at events.

A poker run that starts at the Dam Town Tavern and ends at the Dew Drop Inn concludes on Sunday at 3 p.m. Entry is $5. Tickets for a 50/50 pot are $1 each or six for $5.

A free shuttle will operate between the communities of Hungry Horse, Martin City and Coram on Saturday from noon to midnight and on Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Food Bank donations are appreciated.

For more information, visit online at www.cabinfeverdays.com.

Friday

6 p.m. – Texas Hold ’em, Deerlick Saloon

7 p.m. – Mixed double pool, Southfork Saloon

7 p.m. – Dart tournament, Stonefly Lounge

8 p.m. – Live music, Moonshine Mountain, Stonefly Lounge

8:30 p.m. – Live music, Kenny James Miller, Packers Roost

Saturday

10 a.m. – Biscuits and gravy, Packers Roost

10 a.m. – Kids pool tourney, Dam Town

12 p.m. – Kids sled races, Sugar Hill, Martin City

1 p.m. – Kids carnival, Head Start, Martin City

1-1:30 p.m. – Arm wrestling weigh-ins, Stonefly Lounge

2 p.m. – Hog roast, Packers Roost

2 p.m. – Deer Races, Deerlick Saloon

3 p.m. – Shuffleboard tourney, Southfork Saloon

3 p.m. – Snowshoe softball, Baseball Field

3 p.m. – Mountain man competition, Packers Roost

4 p.m. - Live music, Rock Mountain, Southfork Saloon

4-7 p.m. – AAA arm wrestling tourney, Stonefly Lounge

5 p.m. – Live music, Larry Myer, Packers Roost

6 p.m. – Texas Hold ‘em, Deerlick Saloon

6 p.m. – Live music, Dangerous Band, Deerlick Saloon

7 p.m. – Live music, Dan Dubuque, Stonefly Lounge

8:30 p.m. – Live music, Liquor Down Band, Packers Roost

9 p.m. – Live music, Miller Creek, Stonefly Lounge

Sunday

10 a.m. – Biscuits and gravy, Packers Roost

11 a.m. – 2 p.m. – Hangover cures, Stonefly Lounge

1 p.m. - Free soup, Deerlick Saloon

1 p.m. - Kids Carnival, Head Start, Martin City

1:30 p.m. – Rochambeaux tourney, Stonefly Lounge

2 p.m. – Hog roast, Packers Roost

2 p.m. – Deer races, Deerlick Saloon

2 p.m. – Live music, Grandma’s Lil’ Darlin’s, Stonefly Lounge

3 p.m. – Mountain man competition, Packers Roost

3 p.m. – Rochambeaux tourney, Stonefly Lounge

3 p.m. – Live music, Jam Session, Deerlick Saloon

4 p.m. – Live music, Larry Myer, Packers Roost

3 p.m. – Live music, Rocky Mountain, Southfork Saloon

5 p.m. – Mountain man finals, Packers Roost