Central Oregon dog lovers and winter sport enthusiasts can anticipate a few new activities in the third annual Atta Boy 300 Oregon World Cup Sled Dog Race for Vision, scheduled to begin the first week in January.

Events begin Jan. 3 and the race and activities continue through Jan. 11.

To kick off the festivities, race organizers have added the March for the Light Parade the evening of Jan. 4, said race coordinator Cheryl Rhea.

”We’re inviting all the kids in Central Oregon to escort the mushers in a parade down Wall Street,” Rhea said.

Students are invited to meet at the north parking lot at Riverfront Plaza, between Mirror Pond Gallery and the Pine Tavern restaurant, at 4 p.m. that day. They will parade through town, guiding the mushers and dogs with flashlights.

A primary function of the race is raising awareness of the abilities of the visually impaired, according to the race’s Web site. Rachel Scdoris, the race’s spokeswoman and competitive musher, was born with congenital achromatopsia, a genetic disease that makes her near-sighted, far-sighted and color-blind.

In conjunction with the race, the Atta Boy 300 Race for Vision Foundation and local eye care specialists are offering free vision screenings for people who can’t afford the exams, Rhea said. The foundation also received $40,000 worth of eyeglasses, as a donation, to give to those who need them.

As a new fund-raiser, the race is also offering those who donate $500 an opportunity to camp out with the mushers and their dog teams. Called the Night of 400 Huskies, donors will be able to spend the night with all the competitors and their dogs before the last race day at Mount bachelor. With the exception of the last night, the mushers and their teams stay with host families in the area.

”It’s more than a race. Because it has this education aspect and the vision component, it’s a true community event and effort,” Rhea said.

For the first time, the race will include a daily Hare and Hound Ski Race, in which Nordic skiers start skiing the course one hour before the sled teams begin. The skiers – or ”hares” – will try to reach the finish line before the sled teams catch them.

Few changes have been made to race courses from last year, she said. The course sites seem to have enough snow, so the routes won’t need to be altered, she said.

”We don’t anticipate any changes,” Rhea said.

The race, which begins Jan. 5, has legs at Mount Bachelor, Hoodoo Ski Bowl and areas near Sisters, Walton Lake and La Pine.

Twenty-nine mushers have already signed up for the race, and Rhea said she expects a couple more to enter. The teams hail from as far away as the Yukon, Northwest Territories and the Midwest. They are vying for $55,000 in prize money, a portion of which is awarded at the end of each race day. Last year 34 sled teams started the race and 27 finished.

For more information, check out www.attaboy300.com or call 541-330-3049.

Kelly Kearsley can be reached at 541-383-0348 or at kkearsley@bendbulletin.com.