30th St. Clair powerboat races taking over downtown

ST. CLAIR — The roaring of powerboats will return to the river in St. Clair this weekend — and the festivities that take root around it downtown — for a milestone installment of the St. Clair River Classic.

The offshore race will close down M-29, or Riverside Avenue, from 6 p.m. Wednesday when the Racing Village will be set up nearby the water through noon next Monday, according to the St. Clair County Road Commission.

Then, on Thursday, boat teams from all over the country will begin to arrive ahead of the accompanying weekend events and the races on Sunday.

But Bob Currier, race director for the Blue Water Offshore Racing Association, said this weekend marks the 30th year for the classic, and that to help make it stand out, they’re hosting a boat parade and street party Friday night.

“Being a St. Clair guy, born and raised in St. Clair, involved in the community for a number of years, this is probably one of the largest community events of the summer,” he said. “The fireworks on the Fourth of July draw a huge crowd to St. Clair, and that’s always a good time, but this spans over four days, and the race teams absolutely love coming to St. Clair for a couple of reasons.”

“First and foremost, our race venue is relatively compact. They’re able to, for the most part, walk from their spot in Race Village on Riverside to the staging area or the wet pits, which is on the Pine River and Rotary Park right on Clinton Avenue, and the crane area is walkable as well,” Currier said. “They love the interaction that they have with the race fans in St. Clair and the St. Clair area. A lot of the teams say it’s like their second vacation. Even though they’re working hard to race, they enjoy coming to St. Clair because of the community welcome. … A lot of the other race sites, it’s a four- or five-mile drive from where they get and display the boats to the area where the crane is to put them in the water.”

What does the powerboat race entail?

Held in conjunction with the Offshore Powerboat Association, St. Clair’s event is the third stop and one of six this season on the OPA racing schedule.

Participants compete in 10 classes, or sizes of race boats, depending on how long their boat is, as well as what kind of engine and horsepower it has, with individual teams competing for points for a national championship that’ll be awarded in November.

Currier said between 36 and 40 teams are coming to St. Clair this season, citing it as an average boat count over the last several years.

Teams are expected to come in from as far away as Florida, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Iowa, Missouri, and other parts of Michigan.

Local competitor Knucklehead Racing returns this year with owner Ed Smith, who also owns Rivers Bend Marina in St. Clair. “We think Ed may have been or may be one of the only racers this year that has competed every year in the event in St. Clair,” Currier said.

Magna Electrical Vehicle Structures, in its third year, also returns as the title or presenting sponsor for the classic among 30 sponsors overall.

How can people celebrate downtown?

With race boats arriving all day Thursday, several areas will also be set up to accommodate them with the crane and ramp areas off Fred Moore Highway and the St. Clair city boat harbor, respectively, and the wet and dry pits at Rotary Park and on Riverside.

Live entertainment will be provided on Riverview Plaza in St. Clair each evening on Thursday through Sunday.

The boat parade and street party is set for 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Friday.

For the parade, Currier said the boats will leave Race Village on Riverside heading north to Brown Street before heading west to Ninth Street, south to Clinton Avenue, and west back toward downtown.

The street party will be held on Clinton from Fred Moore to Riverside.

“Where a number of race boats will be on display,” Currier said. “On the street, teams will be available to sign autographs, meet and greet fans, folks can get up close and personal and get photographs, all that kind of stuff. And that’s kind of taking the street party, if you will, from Race Village to Clinton Avenue. So, Murphy’s (Inn), the Riverside Pub, Pepper Joe’s, and the Voyager all have a part in the festivities. Give them an opportunity to welcome the race fans to their establishments because the city has an open footprint for adult beverages.”

Though not in a state-sanctioned social district, the city of St. Clair has an ordinance that sets an area that allows possession and consumption of adult beverages in a couple of public parks and rights of way.

Also, as part of the street party, Currier said, there will be a face-painter for kids and a balloon guy making characters.

There will be an opening ceremony for the offshore boat races on Sunday, tentatively set for 11:15 a.m., with races set for noon to 5 p.m. There will be an award ceremony at Riverview Plaza at 7 p.m.

Where can we find more information?

For more race-specific events, including boat testing and inspections, course setting, and more, visit www.oparacing.org/sc .

Plenty of updates are also being shared on the Blue Water Offshore Racing Association’s Facebook page at Facebook.com/stclairriverclassic .

Currier encouraged those unable to attend to keep an eye on the Facebook page for a livestream of the races Sunday.

Contact reporter Jackie Smith at (810) 989-6270 or jssmith@gannett.com .

This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: 30th St. Clair powerboat races taking over downtown