Racing on the River
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Day 1: August 21, 2010 Racing on the River |
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These are day old pictures. The Great Darke County Fair opened while I was
in Greenville yesterday and I just had to stop by. Even though I did sleep
in my own bed last night, it kind of feels like this road trip kicked off
there and I feel completely justified in starting things off with a panel
of fair pictures. The first one is of a Snow Cone stand where I worked in
the early 1960s. It didn't say "Hawaiian Ice" in those days and
I'm sure the frame and tarp have been replaced a time or two but it's the
same stand in the same location with what looked to be the same ice
grinder. Of course I bought one. Then I checked
out some of the livestock, recorded the fact that Darke County is the
"Horseshoe Pitching Capital of the World", and watched some of
the cheerleading competition. These girls represent my old high school. I
think their grandmothers refused to go out with me.
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These pictures are even older. I intended to eat breakfast on the patio at
The Landing in New Richmond but it was raining ever so
slightly when I arrived so I ate inside. The first two pictures are from a
sunnier visit back in May. Weather wasn't the problem at the
Cardboard Boat Museum. The problem was that many of
the exhibits were down by the river getting ready to race. The last three
pictures were taken a couple of weeks ago.
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Here, at last, are some current photos. It had completely stopped raining
by the time I finished eating -- and watching Little Leaguers from
Hamilton, Ohio, pile up an insurmountable lead in the World Series -- but
the crowd was sparse. Both weather and crowd improved rapidly. I found
some opening ceremonies at the park.
Mark Miller and his two sons skied the entire Ohio River, minus a few really choppy miles, to raise money for and awareness of Disabled American Veterans. Today they presented a $5500 check to the DAV. Next, every veteran in attendance was asked to stand near the stage and given the opportunity to give their name and service details. Pretty cool. |
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Across the street and over the wall boats and racers were gathering along
with lots of spectators. I headed to the river's edge.
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The bank was lined with good looking boats made even more impressive by
the fact that they are made entirely of cardboard, tape, & paint.
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After several announcements that racing would begin in "about ten
minutes" racing actually did begin. The delays bothered no one. Boats
raced in heats of four or five with youth classes filling the first few
heats. There's no doubt these kids were having fun.
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They weren't streaking fighter jets but we did get several nicely
coordinated flyovers by planes from nearby Lunken Airport. Reportedly,
Local 12 TV had a hand in this. There is a short video of one of the
flyovers here.
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The older racers had fun, too. Even the guys who were somewhat serious
about speed. These aren't them.
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The last class was for boats with a mechanical "advantage". I
used quotes there since the various contrivances did not appear to be
advantageous in all cases. These boats cry out for videos and I've posted
clips of the Big Red Machine and
Rooti
Tooti Aim & Shooti.
The last event, the race for the Cardboard Cup, is open to everyone. It's sort of like that jam session at the end of a benefit concert. The number of boats that showed up meant two heats were required. The photograph is of the first heat. I think this video of the second heat sums up the day reasonably well. |
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My exit from New Richmond was perfectly timed. A drizzle appeared within a
few minutes and that turned into an honest, though not heavy, rain by the
time I reached US-50. Rain came and went all the way to days end in
Chillicothe.
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