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Last updated on Tuesday, February 17, 2015
(MITCHELL) - The Mitchell Lions Club announced they will be taking over the Hillbilly 500.
Larry and Michele Hardman of the Mitchell Lion Club and Dan and Kellie Kemple, who helped to create the event, announced the change at February's Mitchell City Council Meeting
The Lions club is taking over the event because it has outgrown what local volunteers can handle.
The Times-Mail reports that last year, the race was canceled because of a rain event that flooded out the spectators' area along Teke Burton Drive. Because the group of volunteers could only afford liability insurance for the single day, it was canceled rather than rescheduled. Dan Kemple explained that, with the Lions Club taking on the project, insurance issues would no longer be a problem because it's an official organization with its own insurance.
Larry Hardman, secretary and past president of the Lions Club, said members would like to see the race grow from a one-day event to a weekend event in the future. He said plans are to add more events to follow the "redneck" theme of the race, such as a lawn mower pull. He'd also like to see local organizations get involved and use it as a fundraising opportunity.
The race is held the first Saturday in August. This year, it will be August 1.
The council approved the closure of Teke Burton Drive from Main to Orchard streets and wished the organization luck with the endeavor.
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