BOAT RACING HAS BEEN A TRADITION AT LAKE DEPUE FOR MORE THAN 100 YEARS

The roots of boat racing on Lake DePue go back to 1917. In those days and most years until the early 1960s, the races were always held on Labor Day weekend.

It is uncertain who the sponsor was, but in1931 the DePue Boat Club (DBC) was formed and it sponsored the races for the next 30 years.

e DePue Boat Club is credited with constructing the concrete boat ramp that is still in use today, along with the metal shing pier in front of the big shelter.

A few years later, the Peru branch of the DePue Boat Club was formed and conducted boat races on the Illinois River in Peru along Water Street.

In the 1950s, the DePue race was also the Midwest Divisionals. e Divisionals were an important race in those years as a win at a divisional guaranteed the driver an automatic berth in the National Championship race, without the need to qualify.

In 1961, the DePue Centennial Committee (DCC) was asked by the

Outboard Club of Chicago to host the rst American Power Boat Association (APBA) National Championship races on Lake DePue in conjunction with the DePue Centennial celebration. e Outboard Club of Chicago had been in charge of conducting the races since the mid-1940s.

In 1965, a er three years at other sites, DePue was asked again to host the National Championships, with the DePue Boat Club and the newly-formed Lake DePue Preservation Association, (LDPA), led by Donald Bosnich and John Widmar , as co-sponsors. is was considered the passing of the torch as the LDPA then sponsored the Lake DePue APBA National Championship races every year through 1974.

A er the 1974 race, Lake DePue was deemed too shallow for safe racing, although the Midwest Powerboat Association conducted a couple races in 1975 and 1976 on Memorial Day weekend.

A er much lobbying , and with the help of Richard “Dick” Mautino and Calvin Schuneman, legislation was passed to allow the dredging of Lake DePue in the early 1980s. president another year?’” Solorio said. “ e same thing happened the next year, and then year a er that, and then year a er that. Eventually, the year a er that turned into 40 years.” e same thing happened with most of the other o ces, Solorio noted. “Our membership wasn’t always that interested in holding elections.” e club’s association with the DePue Boat Races began in 1984, a er taking over responsibility of the newly-formed United States Title Series from the DePue Democratic Club.

In 1983, the DePue Democratic Club, in conjunction with the newly-formed United States Title Series, held the rst race in DePue since 1976. e DDC realized the task was too big for them and turned to a new organization, the DePue Men’s Club, (DMC), to become the sponsor for the 1984 USTS race.

A er the success of the 1984 race the DMC was asked to host the National Championship race in 1985 in association with the USTS as a conducting club.

And so, the tradition of Lake DePue National Championship boat racing has been in the hands of the DMC , USTS and the American Power Boat Association for the past 38 years.

Going back to the DBC, DCC, LDPA, DDC and DMC, you will nd many grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, brothers and sisters of current DePue Men’s Club members. All have taken great pride in the history of racing on Lake DePue.

Racing had restarted on the lake the previous year, following dredging operations to deepen the lake in the early 1980s. Interest in the 1983 inau- gural event was so keen that the DePue Democratic Club quickly realized that larger organization was needed to run the event.

And it became a real learning experience for the newly-formed DePue Men’s Club.

“When we started organizing our rst race we had virtually no money,” Solorio said. “So we went to the town bank — I think it was Colonial Trust — and asked if they’d back us up in case we lost our shirts. To our surprise, they said ‘Sure.’ ey helped us establish nancing as well as set up fund raising.”

In addition to the boats ying around the lake, the races involve a lot of other moving parts. e club maintains around 15 di erent committees to oversee all aspects of the event, from vendors and entertainment, to parking and tickets, to electricity and outhouses, to food and beer, and much more.

And just because you serve on one committee, it doesn’t mean you might not be working on something else.

Rauh, for instance, oversaw the electrical committee, but also spent time spraying for mosquitoes and dealing with racer parking and food vendor issues.

Solorio recalled putting down straw to deal with mud puddles and mire in the racer parking area during one of the rainy years.

“ e worst part was cleaning it up a erwards,” he said. “It smelled like a barnyard!”

Garbage was an added nuisance in the early years, though that duty now has been relegated to one of the volunteer