Racing fans lined both sides of Chardon Square’s Main Street for the final day of the Geauga County Maple Festival in anticipation for a race and community tradition like none other.
Racing fans lined both sides of Chardon Square’s Main Street for the final day of the Geauga County Maple Festival in anticipation for a race and community tradition like none other.
“Okay, crowd, are you ready?” said announcer Marc Burr, also known as the “voice of the festival,” over thunderous cheering.
The annual bathtub races kicked off under clear skies as returning competitors joined new entrants.
Only two pushers were permitted to propel their team’s bathtub at any given time, ensuring teams strategize their rotations effectively to navigate a 250-foot course down Main Street, make a sharp turn at a designated turnaround point and race back to the finish line.
“The bathtub races are an enormous draw every year,” maple festival board President Linda Bowyer said. “These folks spend a lot of time with design and engineering to make these things run like it’s an Indy race. It is just plain fun.”
Newbie racer and lifetime Chardon resident Grayce Young paced back and forth with her teammates prior to the green flag at the starting line.
“At last year’s maple festival, Emma (Grayce’s sister) and I were standing there watching the bathtub races,” Young said. “We looked at each other and said, ‘We have to do this.’ We begged my dad and he told us if we really wanted it, we had to make it happen. This whole experience isn’t just about racing — it’s about family, tradition, community and chasing dreams,” Young said. “I’m so excited to be racing this year because I’ve been a lifelong fan of the maple festival and have always loved watching the bathtub races. It always looked like such a blast to be out there in front of the community with some healthy competition.”
So, the two sisters decided to join the fun this year.
“We’re racing together, representing both my real estate career and our family business, and it’s even more special to have our grandparents here to cheer us on,” Young said.
Chardon Welding custom fabricated their cast iron tub with their steering wheel made from bicycle handlebars.
“I personally pushed a bathtub when I was in high school and let me tell you, it is physically demanding and very difficult,” Burr said. “The bathtub races are competition in the truest form with the crowds cheering the teams on.”
He cautioned onlookers to look out during the race.
“They weigh hundreds of pounds and cannot be stopped easily or in a short distance,” Burr said.
Spectators snapped photos and cheered their teams on.
“It’s an organic local event, fostering all that is good about our need to be a part of something,” said maple festival Entertainment Director Ron Spangenberg. “All the team components, the decision to build a team and race, get sponsors, procure a tub, build or commission the build, practice, create a personality and colors for the team, having anxiety and race-day jitters, fail or succeed, win or lose … all build long-lasting camaraderie that stays with us for the rest of our days,” he said. “And the event draws a strong crowd, the life blood of any fair or festival.”
Dr. Brian Titus, of Chardon Smile Center, is a top competitor and supporter of the festival every year.
“We’ve been doing this event a long time and it’s so much fun. We just love participating in it every year, but it does make it a little sweeter when we win,” Titus said. “This year, it was especially satisfying because of how many good teams entered. (We used the) same tub as last year, zero modifications. This time of year, I always plan on upgrades, but they never seem to get done.”
Titus’ teams won first-place in the Men’s/Co-Ed Division and second-place in the Women’s Division.
Spangenberg expressed gratitude for the McCaskey family, which has been involved in the race since its conception (in the 1970s), he said, adding, “Without them, it would not exist.”
“It’s all about good old-fashioned fun,” organizer Jim McCaskey said.
Young’s team celebrated at the finish line, clinching third-place in the Women’s Division.
“It felt incredible,” Young said. “All the hard work we put in — even if it was a bit last-minute — really paid off. And placing third despite not being in the best race-ready shape made it even more rewarding. It was such a great feeling to know we could pull it off and have so much fun.”
The sisters plan to race again next year.
“The running was tough, but the feeling of accomplishment afterward was so worth it,” Young said. “Training for the next bathtub race starts now, only 364 days left to go.”
