June Director's Corner
We are now full-swing into our summer season here at the Hydroplane & Raceboat Museum. Things are happening at a busy pace, but it is also our favorite time of year.
On Tuesday, May 12 we had our annual Spring Test session on Lake Washington. Mother Nature smiled upon us with clear, sunny skies and calm waters. The four boats which participated ran 23 times in the four hour test period. 10 training rides were given, spread amongst 9 different drivers. One new driver was qualified for the HARM fleet! All the boats returned to the pits under power, and but with one minor exception that was easily fixed, there were no mechanical issues. A couple thousand spectators showed up to watch hydros, eat hot dogs and celebrate.
Our boats have been out and about spreading the word as well. On May 9-10, the Squire Shop was on display as part of 49’er Days in Winthrop, WA, where we got a nice award for our parade participation. On May 16 the Squire also participated in the Touch-a-Truck event at Wild Waves Water Park in Federal Way, WA. There were thousands of parents, kids and families participating and it was a great time. On June 1, the U-787 Boeing boat (which we display for Ellstrom Manufacturing) participated in the Seafair Kickoff event on the Seattle waterfront.
I mentioned in last-month’s newsletter that former Museum Director David Williams and I sat down for an interview for David Newton’s “Roostertail Talk” podcast. Episode 183, part 1 of that podcast was put out this morning—a full hour’s worth of the three of us discussing our cumulative hydroplane backgrounds, and the status of the Museum. (Part 2 will be released next Tuesday, June 9) The podcast can be accessed here, and without patting ourselves on the back too hard, its a pretty good listen:
Episode 183: David Williams and Brad Haskin, Part 1
Just a couple weeks now until the return of Hydro Fever, Saturday, June 20 from 10:00-4:00 at the Museum. Multiple raceboats from the Pacific Northwest Boat Racing Association and the Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum will be on display in the parking lot—maybe even some loud noise associated with that as well. Memorabilia dealers and a hydroplane ‘stuff and things’ garage sale inside. Lunch will be available for purchase. Come down and show your support for the Museum, the local boat racing scene, and pick up some buttons to fill in missing spots in your collection….you know you want to.
We continue to consolidate the Museum fleet in our new storage facility in Arlington. This last week both the 1948 G-2 Hurricane IV and 1957 U-24 Miss U were tucked safely inside. Next up is the 1974 U-74 Valu*Mart hull. Pallet racking is currently being installed against the building walls, so we can start storing our overflow parts, memorabilia and media off-site. Thanks again to Joe Frauenheim, Ike Kielgass, John Walker and Greg Batie for the Herculean effort (I hope you ‘heard’ that last part in Bernie Little’s voice) they have been making on the new building and overall property improvement.
A special tip of the hat to Jill Andrews who has volunteered to tackle the Museum’s social media platforms. Jill is an expert at small business marketing and social media, as well as having her foot in the local boat racing scene. Her desire is to consolidate all of our platforms together and increase the on-line footprint of the Museum to a new, younger generation.
Thank you to everyone who participated in our GiveBIG fund-raising campaign last month. All your contributions go to keeping our doors open—which during these economic times is certainly a challenge. It all helps. It all counts!
I want to take a moment to remember Bill Myers and Karin Senior, two long-time members of the Museum family and life-long hydroplane fans who recently passed away. Anyone who has been around the Museum in the last 30 years knows the contributions these two made to the longevity and success here. Our world is better for having known them, and lesser now for their absence.
Until next month…