Lawn mower races experience 'a spectacular turnout'

A racer flies by during the Kooskia Days lawn mower races.

KOOSKIA — The Clearwater Valley Grass Assassins (CVGA) had an incredibly successful first year according to organizers. The group directed several lawn mower races in the area, their main event being a race during Kooskia Days. They had 28 registered racers and estimate more than 700 people came to watch the Kooskia Days race.

“We had a spectacular turnout,” Gary Payton, club president enthused.

Payton continued to describe the goals of the group emphasizing how much they hope to see the races become a key annual family event, with parents helping kids to refurbish the lawn mowers for the races. Doug Schroeder, CVGA treasurer, added they hope to be a good youth outreach center and help kids find a productive and valuable way to spend their time. Charlie Zumwalt acknowledged the opportunity it had given her son, Cash, to spend time with his dad while working on his mower.

“It’s a family event for sure,” added Jarred Roy.

While the group is still working to figure what will work best for future years, they felt encouraged by how their first year had gone.

“It’s been fun to see the people who initially questioned our sanity be like, ‘Wow, that’s cool’,” laughed Payton.

The group has run races in several towns throughout the county, but they hope that in future years, clubs will form to run things in each individual town, adding that they hope to eventually see friendly competitions between towns.

“It’s just exciting to see something new,” Gary finished, “We’re excited to keep doing this for the community.”

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