The first annual Southside Lawnmower Race was a roaring success.
The races, which also featured an 80-foot mud pit, a dirt bike jump, live music, and vendors, was held at Moosehorn Lodge on June 14. Lead organizer Jay Wiebe, alongside the owner of the Moosehorn Lodge, dreamed up the idea during a conversation over beers one evening after Wiebe had broken his lawnmower. Wiebe said in an interview that he was pleased with how the event played out.
"The races went pretty dang good for a first-time event," he said.
In a previous interview Wiebe said safety was a priority for the races.
鈥淭here will be no blades allowed,鈥� he said prior to the event. 鈥淵ou are allowed to have your deck on your lawn mower, but there will be no blades. And there will be safety switches in place. So if you fall off your lawn mower, you鈥檒l trip a safety device that will shut your lawnmower down. And we will be inspecting that before the racers are allowed to race their machines.鈥�
Wiebe said the crowd was a little smaller than he hoped, especially later in the day when it began to rain, but the vendors sold most of their wares.
He is planning to organize the event again next year, and said he anticipates more people will attend.
"Next year, I think, will be way bigger now that we got some attention," he said, adding that he is thinking of planning next year's race for a long weekend, maybe in August.
He promised next year's event will be even grander than this year's with more activities planned.
"Bathtub races and full out mud bogs for sure," he said.
