FRIDAY, AUGUST 5, 2011 - Race weekend is here and there is no shortage of things to do at the first, and what we hope will become, the annual, Huntington Classic.  Obviously, race fans will be watching the water from late morning to late afternoon tomorrow and Sunday for some Formula 3 and Formula 2 tunnel boat race action, but if you are hankering for some fun after the checkered flag waves there is lots on the calendar for you to enjoy.

The Huntington Classic, in conjunction with Schooner's Waterfront Grille and the Guyandotte Regatta Festival, has a lot of fun stuff to do each evening at and around the riverfront.  Here is a link to the entertainment schedule for tonight through Sunday at www.huntingtonclassic.com.  Click here to access entertainment lineup: http://www.huntingtonclassic.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14:entertainment-abounds-on-water-a-land-at-huntington-classic&catid=2:news&Itemid=9.

If you plan to attend the events at the VFW tonight, Herd Racing will have both of the race boats it is running this weekend at the festival for the kids to see.  Stop by Main Street in front of the VFW in Guyandotte to talk to the team and see the boats.  The team will be giving away We Are Marshall DVDs and giving bouncy balls, fake Jesus Fish tatoos and puzzles to the kids in attendance.  The events are free and open to the public.

And, if you missed some of the preview of the race weekend this week in the local newspaper you can catch up on the news by clicking on the following links.  The Herald-Dispatch's sports page was nearly all boat racing on Wednesday.  You can find that story, standings and photos here: http://www.herald-dispatch.com/sports/x1652342630/Leading-racers-coming.  On Thursday morning, Sports Columnist Chuck Landon gave his take on what he saw at our Huntington Classic preview back in early June.  He and I talked quite a bit that night about how tunnelboat racing is a lot like NASCAR.  Here is his column: http://www.herald-dispatch.com/sports/x1812762496/Chuck-Landon-Powerboats-will-put-on-show-for-Huntington.  And again this morning, The Herald-Dispatch published the race day schedules for Friday-Sunday at The Huntington Classic events.  You can read the upcoming weekend racing schedule at: http://www.herald-dispatch.com/sports/x1652343032/Twenty-powerboat-teams-set-to-race-in-Guyandotte.

Off to The Huntington Classic!  Hope to see you there this weekend.

Dana Tomes