The Owensboro Hydrofair is officially scheduled to return Aug. 19-21. While a debris debacle put a damper on last year’s races, organizers said that was an anomaly and they are confident the event can be a success.
Owensboro City Commissioners during their Tuesday meeting signed an agreement with American Hydroplane Events to bring the Hydrofair back.
City Manager Nate Pagan said August dates are typically chosen because they are seen as low points in debris for the river.
“That August date (last year) was set in large part because the river is normally pretty low pretty during that period of time, unlike the spring or fall where we get more rain so there’s more debris, river is moving at a faster pace,” Pagan said. “So it was intentionally picked [due to the expected levels] in August. It was just bad luck.”
Last year, Saturday’s qualifying races were supposed to start at 10 a.m., but there was too much driftwood for any chance of that happening.
The 1.25-mile course was finally approved for racing just before 2 p.m. and it was announced boats were about to hit the water. A buoy in the final turn then came loose, causing another delay.
During that time, drivers determined that while the course was cleared for racing, too much debris had collected in the area from the pits to the starting line.
Not a single lap was completed that day. Sunday started much the same way, but they event was finally able to go on and wrap up that evening.
Because of the unexpected amount of debris, there was a small modification to this year’s contract to cover various associated fees. It bumps the hosting fee up to $92,722 compared to the $91,422 it cost in 2021.
Also regarding debris, City of Owensboro Director of Public Events Tim Ross there are boats to ensure everything is properly handled, but the debris amount was simply larger than expected.
Ross also said that the net cost for the 2021 event was roughly $154,000; this year it is expected to be $161,000.
Following last year’s event, Ross said spectators were excited for the HydroFair, but he partially believed that the weather and delays were a reason for the letdown and smaller-than-expected turnout.
“It still was a little bit less than what we anticipated it to be,” Ross said last year. “So based on what the costs are to do that style event, it wasn’t as strong as I was hoping it would be.”
Organizers are hopeful for a bigger turnout and better conditions this year. American Hydroplane Events has already begun touting the return of the competition.
