There were laughs, there were tears and, unlike other Yukon Quest finish banquets, there was a proposal.

The 2008 awards banquet kicked off at the Yukon Convention Centre on Saturday night with, appropriately, kicks - a team of Sourdough Rendezvous can-can dancers in colourful skirts.

The 2685 Yukon Army cadets acted as the ceremony's flag party, while Gary Lachance sang the American anthem and the Whitehorse Elementary School Choir sang O Canada.

Tourism and Culture Minister Elaine Taylor was called up by master of ceremonies Sandie Coleman. She celebrated the accomplishment of the final 15 mushers, especially Michelle Phillips.

"Being the first Yukoner to cross the finish line, she is quite an ambassador for the Yukon, and quite a woman," Taylor said.

Federal Tourism Minister Diane Ablonczy also celebrated the Quest with brief remarks, preceding Mayor Bev Buckway.

As tables were called up for the buffet-style dinner of salmon and roast beef au jus, a slideshow of this year's Quest photos played on a large screen beside the stage.

Veteran musher and 2008 scratch Frank Turner took to the stage first, congratulating the finishers and applauding winner Lance Mackey and second-place musher Ken Anderson for a finish that was "absolutely tremendous."

Turner regaled the crowd with tales of Quests past, reminding the crowd that "I'm going to try and keep this short," before launching into another anecdote from the trail.

The finishing mushers were called up in reverse order to accept half of their prize money. (They receive the other within 30 days, based on the drug test results of their dogs.)

Boivin, who had crossed the finish line just an hour before the banquet started, thanked her sponsors and read a poem she said she had written, finishing with the line, "The sparkle in a dog's eye lights the way for us all."

Veteran musher Bill Cotter spoke next, on his 62nd birthday, it was announced. He thanked race staff and his dogs, and took the opportunity to publicly chastise the trail-breakers on the American side of the race.

"You let us down. In the future, I expect a safe trail," he said. To this, he turned and walked away from the podium to resounding cheers and applause from the audience.

Ann Ledwidge thanked her family, whom she said were the light at the end of often dark, lonely runs on the trail.

Bill Pinkham took to the stage with a trick up his sleeve.

He was optimistic about the race, he said, even the tough parts.

"We don't make excuses, or have other people to blame," he said. He thanked his handlers, and joked that he would embarrass Jodi Swanson by calling her on the stage.

"Instead, I am going to ask her to marry me."

With that, gasps, cheers and applause rang across the banquet, as an elated Swanson ran up on stage and jumped into Pinkham's arms, gasping herself.

Seventh-place musher Hugh Neff garnered some laughs from the crowd, saying, "There's a reason the word God spelled backwards is dog.

"It's about the dogs in front of you, the moon above you, the aurora and the smile on your face."

Kelley Griffin thanked her dogs, "for not taking the opportunity to kill me," she laughed. On a more serious note, she said she concurred with Cotter's comments.

"It's about the dogs. There were times on the trail when I was thinking, ‘What is this, a Survivor episode?'"

Anderson shook hands with race official Doug Grilliot, accepted a wood sculpture and said into the microphone, "So, did we put on a show for you or what?"

"I love this race," said the rookie Quest musher. He said he would be back for the 2009 race if he could.

Mackey looked at his own wood sculpture, shaking his head before he said, "This never gets old!"

It wasn't long before Mackey was called up to the stage again, only this time instead of smiling ear-to-ear and joking, he was in tears.

Grilliot announced Mackey as the winner of the Veterinarian's Choice Award, which is given to the musher who "best demonstrates outstanding dog care while remaining competitive during the entire race."

Mackey had said throughout the race that while winning a fourth straight Quest would be nice, he really wanted to win the vet's choice award.

"This means more to me than winning the damn race," he said, visibly moved by the recognition. "Thank you, very much."

Mackey also was awarded four ounces of gold, as he was the first musher into the halfway checkpoint in Dawson City.

"I look forward to these little bonuses," he said with a smile.

Anderson won the Rookie of the Year award, which is a locally-made burl box inlaid with malachite and placer gold awarded to the highest-placing rookie.

Grilliot told the audience the Challenge of the North Award is given to a musher who most exemplifies the spirit of the Yukon Quest.

"This individual overcame a lot of obstacles, and he never complained," he said.

He presented a piece of Alaskan Eskimo artwork to Brent Sass.

"I just can't find a way to be down out there," said Sass. "The great outdoors is where I belong."

Griffin was called to the stage next, to accept a carved wooden knife as the prize for the Sportsmanship Award.

"It is really special that it's voted upon by the other mushers," she said.

Boivin, as the red lantern winner, giggled and groaned as the award was handed to her.

"I'd like to thank the jumble ice for making this possible," she said, beer in hand. "I'd like to thank the flu bug too," she joked.

The next award recipients were significantly more restrained. In fact, they had to be brought up on stage tied to a leash.

Handsome and Rev, Mackey's lead dogs, were awarded the Golden Harness Award. The award carries with it two custom-made harnesses, gold in colour, of course, and a steak dinner, served to the Alaskan huskies.

"Handsome is the only one that goes back to the 1970 bloodline of my dad, and I think he'd be pretty proud now," he said as his dogs gluttonously lapped up their steaks.

With that, it was announced, the music was to play on as mushers, race staff and volunteers had one last chance to mingle, laugh and tip a few back before the 2008 Quest community disbanded once more, leaving a void filled only by the rejoining of familiar faces at the 2009 Yukon Quest, which will start in Whitehorse next Feb. 14.