Revival of “Outhouse Racing” looms Mountain Kingdom’s future
By Arlen MacLaine
This year, at Golden City Days, Rossland will see the return of the long lost art of outhouse racing. The races were a part of Golden City Days a couple of decades ago but haven’t been seen in these parts since 1986. Mike Williams, who is organizing this year’s event, remembers the races from his younger years.
“We thought this would be a great event to involve people of all ages in a fun and exciting race that will hopefully become a part of Golden City Days for years to come,” he said.
Teams will consist of five participants, whose combined age slots them into one of three divisions: Seniors = 250+ combined years, Adults = 120-249 combined years, and Juniors = under 120 years, with the minimum age of participant being 12 years old.
As for the outhouses, they must be human powered, have the usual 4 walls, a roof and doorway, and must include wiping material and a toilet seat with at least one hole. They can be made of any material, except glass, and must have a base of at least 9 square feet, with a minimum height of 5 feet at the structure’s highest point.
During the race, four team members will be pushing or pulling, and one member must sit on the ‘throne.’ There will be a fire drill part way through the course, requiring all team members to circle the outhouse three times, and the ‘throne’ sitter must switch places with another team member. Team members will also be required to place colour-coded toilet paper rolls onto their corresponding plungers, and the quickest time through the course will win!
An artist by trade, Mike Williams is carving a trophy that will be presented to the winning team in each division. There will also be a ‘people’s choice’ award. Creativity is encouraged and expected, with teams to dress in the theme of their outhouse. There is also the opportunity for local businesses to get involved.
“We thought it could be good advertising for local businesses to sponsor teams, and perhaps even enter their own team,” said Williams. “There could be fun rivalries between business that would grow year after year.”
“We want this to become a focused, premiere event at Golden City Days,” said Williams. “Maybe, in time, it could even rival the popularity of the bobsled races during Rossland’s Winter Carnival.”
The deadline for entries is September 3rd. Participants are encouraged to start building their entries soon in order to allow for maximum creativity. For entry forms or more information, contact Mike Williams at 250-362-5244, or email mikescarvings@hotmail.com. See you at the races!
