PORT HADLOCK– These days, every small town has a festival designed to instill community pride — but this weekend’s Hadlock Days has a wheel up on the others.
There will be the expected food booths, crafts vendors and rides, designed to provide an afternoon of family fun.
There will be informational booths to learn about the latest government services and political causes.
There will be a classic car show and a parade.
But many of the expected 3,000 to 5,000 attendees will be coming in for the lawn mower races.
Lloyd Crouse, a retired contractor who first tried lawn mower racing on Omak, brought the sport to Hadlock Days five years ago as a way to get people interested in the flagging celebration.
Today, after three years in a new site, event organizers are adding attractions as to not be overwhelmed by what has become the main event, or at least let visitors know that Port Hadlock offers more than watching 80 people race around a 500-foot track on lawn equipment.
Showing off beauty
“The purpose of this is to show people how beautiful it is out here,” said Viva Davis, a local real estate agent and past president of Hadlock Days.
“This is a great location,” she said, pointing to the clear sky and the Olympic Mountains visible from the former quarry land that looks far better than last year due to extensive landscaping.
Crouse said there will be two classes of races, based on the lawn mower’s engine size.
There will also be two classes of contestants: regular and old-timers.
He said the oldest person registered for this year’s race is 79 years old.
He expects about 80 participants from Arizona, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Canada and “maybe California.”
Thrill of mower racing
The thrill of lawn mower racing can’t be adequately described, according to Davis.
“When you put someone on a lawn mower for the first time, they start grinning and their eyes bug out,” she said. “All you see are their eyes and teeth.”
Hadlock Days has been free in the past, but this year attendees will be required to pay a $2 admission fee.
“We’re not making any money on this,” said Hadlock Days President Lee Anne Dahl.
“We just want to pay for expenses, so we have enough to do this next year.”
Hadlock Days begin tonight with the Presidents’ Race, where the current president of the event, Dahl, will race against past presidents Davis and Carol Woodley.
Doors open at 6 p.m. with the race scheduled for around 7 p.m.
Lawn mower races begin on Saturday at 10 a.m., with the parade beginning at 11 a.m.
Vendors will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
On Sunday, lawn mower races begin at 9 a.m. with a classic car/bike show occurring from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
For more information go to www.hadlockdays.com.
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
