The Thunder on the Vermilion boat races at the Gao Grotto are back this weekend. And the Grotto’s Buddy Freed says a different group of racers will be here this time around. Freed says the Marine Racing Club stopped by last spring and liked what they saw.
AUDIO: We had the Indiana Racing Association come last time in 2019. They have a meeting every year in Florida. So we reached out to another racing club. And these guys came in March, walked on the grounds, and got really excited about getting involved.
The Marine Racing Club has been around for decades and hits events in numerous Midwestern states. Freed says they’ll start practicing around 3:30 Friday. First, an ambulance needs to be on site, and then the racers have to plot their courses on the water.
AUDIO: These guys will be going out there and figuring out what prop they need. Each one of these props cost $1,500 to $2,000; it’s props on the backs of these boats. It’s got different pitches and stuff, so they’ll be figuring that out.
And that will begin a full weekend of boat racing, food, and musical entertainment. No charge for admission, but all money spent while there will go to the Gao Grotto’s mission; as Craig Green described for Laura Williams on 1490 WDAN’s Community Connection.
AUDIO: We’re involved in basically with crippled children. We help out. And we’ve got a humanitarian fund. If somebody’s got somebody sick; then for travel expenses we can give them so much money. Every year, every summer for two weeks, we have the AMBUCS kids out here. We give them boat rides and stuff like that.
The racing will be similar to what you’d see at an auto racing track: different classes, heat races, and features. Racing will be about 11 to 5:30 Saturday and 11 to 4:30 Sunday. The musical entertainment will include The Captains Three starting at 7 Friday night, Booe and the Bobz starting about 6 Saturday once the racing is over, and then Mike Russell, also known as Hoosier Daddy, playing 4 to 7 to wrap things up Sunday. Freed says he’d love to see a visit from the Marine Racing Club on Danville’s calendar every summer.
AUDIO: (It’s) good for the community. I mean we’ve got people coming and staying in hotels; soliciting all the gas stations and food places in town. So it’s revenue for Danville, which is very good.
The Gao Grotto also has their Humanitarian Day Country Fried Steak dinner coming up Friday the 26. Just check out their Facebook page for more on the whole racing weekend, and upcoming events.
