Fourth of July celebration in Estacada (Oregon) to feature lawn mower races
By Salem Weekly Editors
from Salem Weekly, Section News
Posted on Tue Jun 14, 2011 at 10:11:58 PM PDT
http://www.letsmow.com/go/Willamettelive/Independence Day in Estacada will be rung in with the sound of lawn mower engines. No, it's not hosting a red, white, and blue-themed landscaping convention. Members of the United States Lawn Mower Racing Association and Estacada Area Community Events (EACE) will present the U.S. Pacific Coast Open lawn mower races.
Race mowers will converge from across the west at the “Mow Bang Raceway,” 30900 SE Eagle Creek Rd, in Estacada, Oregon for two days of sod-slinging action. Trophy racing begins at 7 p.m., with preliminary racing at 2:30 p.m. Spectator admission is $5, free for ages 12 and under.
“We are going to 'kick grass' this 4th of July Weekend,” said Dan Skoog, EACE member and race promoter of the U.S. Pacific Coast Open. “We have built a custom lawn mower racing track – the Mow Bang Raceway – and are going to see racing mowers slinging sod at speeds up to 50 m.p.h. Lawn mower racing will be the featured attraction of our annual Fourth of July Festival in Estacada and it will be great fun for the whole family.”
“The 'mow the merrier' this Fourth of July Weekend,” said Race Director Bud Elmore, from Anza, California, who will spend the entire week preceding the races preparing the track. “The entire town is so into this. I met with Mayor Becky Arnold and some City Council members and then attended an EACE Board Of Directors meeting. The folks in Estacada are jacked up for this event and promise a great track and super hospitality. There are lawn mower racing clubs in California, Colorado, Oregon, Idaho, Utah and Washington and we welcome everybody!
“We’ll also have some ‘fun runs,’ exhibition racing and grudge matches on July 4,” added Elmore. “The Bone Stock class mowers will show off and entertain the crowd before the Fourth of July Big Bang Fireworks Show. What a great way to celebrate our nation’s birthday.”
The U.S. Pacific Coast Open marks the USLMRA’s return to the Pacific Coast and the Pacific Northwest Region. “We’ve raced in Washington at the Skagit County Fair in Mt. Vernon (1998) and along California’s Pacific Coast at the Santa Cruz County Fair in Watsonville (1997), but this is our first event in the great state of Oregon,” added Elmore. “Now, the Beaver State is going to be on the cutting edge of motorsports.”
Look for more mower-fueled events like this with the newly formed Northwest Mower Racing Association (NWMRA) based in Beaverton, Oregon. The NWMRA plans to race across the state at fairs, festivals and municipalities. Their web site is nwmowerracing.com and local sod warriors are encouraged to join the fun of this inexpensive, family-oriented motorsport.