For the second year in a row, low snow totals have hurt the businesses that count on it.

The Klondike Dog Derby in Excelsior, which has brought 30-50,000 people to town in years past, was canceled for the second year in a row, stifling what should’ve been among the busiest — if not the busiest — weekends of the year, according to organizers.

“We start with filling the main street full of snow, and you can’t have another person standing on the sidewalks. It’s just the town is full, and everybody’s so vibrant and excited,” Klondike Dog Derby President Bill Damberg said.

Damberg also owns Brightwater Clothing along Excelsior’s main strip of Water Street, which he said typically sees an influx during this weekend each year.

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Instead, the only thing bustling outside his shop on Saturday was the wind.

“Mother Nature, again, pulled the pin on us,” he said.

A group of hundreds of volunteers have tried to put on the dog derby at Lake Minnetonka each year for the past five, but it’s only happened two of those years, according to Damberg.

2021 was canceled due to COVID and 2024 and 2025 have lacked the necessary snow.

“Last year, we didn’t have snow and we didn’t have ice. This year, we have ice, but we don’t have snow. In order to safely run a sled dog race, we need a packed trail on the lake with at least eight inches of snow,” Damberg explained.

The town counts on the dogs to bring people into local businesses during what is otherwise a lull for the area in the winter.

“In fact, some of the local businesses have said that that is their busiest day of the year… That’s a hard thing,” he said.

“I would say this weekend, we’re probably going to be down 50, 60% of what it would have been at its high point during an active race.”

Down the road, it was all quiet on Lake Minnetonka.

“I try to come every year,” said Thomas Wilson who was in town from Chaska.

“I know people who volunteer here and stuff. It’s disappointing. They put a lot into each year.”

Wilson was headed back into a heated tent by Maynard’s restaurant, where the only action seemed to be in town.

The live music event was a new addition to the Klondike Dog Derby event this year and went on from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The tent was packed, but the crowd could not compare to derby spectators. The money raised during the music event will go toward plans to bring the derby back in 2026, Damberg said.

“That’s all we can do, keep trying,” he said.

“And now we’re fully geared up. We’re having a meeting today. We made the official launch for the 2026 Klondike, which will be on Feb. 14 next year, so bring your valentine for the sled dog race.”