Garfield Lake Ice Racers celebrate 25 years, wrap up successful season

A plowed track on the south end of Garfield Lake has turned winter weekends in Laporte into a community ritual for 25 years, giving Beltrami County a place where racing, family tradition and local gathering have overlapped on the ice.

The Garfield Lake Ice Racing Club opened its 2026 season after receiving permission to begin on Sunday, Jan. 11. The club ran weekly races on Garfield Lake in Laporte, typically at noon as long as the ice safely permitted, and the numbers showed the draw held steady through the heart of winter. On Jan. 21, 21 cars filled the field after the club squeezed in one set of races on a cold, windy Sunday. By Feb. 8, 23 ice racers were on hand in the A Main and Youth divisions.

That turnout mattered beyond the starting line. For years, the club has been one of the most recognizable cold-weather gatherings in Laporte, bringing spectators to the south end of the lake and adding weekend traffic to a small town that sees its identity sharpen by the season. The races gave families a reason to come back week after week, and the club’s 25-year run made the Garfield Lake oval more than a temporary winter attraction. It became part of how the community marks the season.

The milestone also came as the lake surface began to give way to spring. By March 8, the club was celebrating its 25-year history on Garfield Lake as the ice slowly melted, closing out another successful year for the racing group. What remained after the final laps was the same thing that has kept the club relevant for a quarter-century: a shared local tradition built around volunteer effort, familiar names and a track that has anchored winter life in Laporte.

For Beltrami County, the Garfield Lake Ice Racing Club has been more than a set of race results. It has been a recurring community event, a seasonal meeting place and a reminder that even after the racing ends, the connections built on the ice last well beyond the thaw.