Ely’s Great Bathtub Race at Cave Lake
Ely has a history of creating off the wall events, and one of the wackiest has to be the Great Bath Tub Race held each June at Cave Lake State Park.
After one of the local motels remodeled their rooms a few years ago, a late night brainstorming session led to the wild idea of floating and racing bath tubs on the lake. A few planning sessions followed and the concept for a new event took off.
People can borrow a bath tub or use their own, and build a craft to race. These can be motorized or non-motorized. The idea is make the craft float from the shore out to a buoy in the lake and then back to shore. Races are held for each category, and this year kayak races will be added to the mix.
The event takes place at Cave Lake State Park located in the high mountain desert just outside Ely, Nevada. The day is full of sunshine, water, fun, food, and all sorts of races, including the rubber ducky race. And the day ends with fireworks set off over the water. Did I mention the historic cannon that is fired off regularly during the day to announce starting times and activities? What fun!
Lots of information, photos, and videos about the Great Bath Tub Race can be found here. This is your chance to participate in a great event or just come relax at the lake, do a little fishing or swimming, and enjoy the cool, clean, mountain air.
The boats are on display in Ely the night before the race at 5:00 pm at the Ramada Copper Queen Casino. This is your chance to inspect the boats (or display your own boat) and buy your rubber ducky and t-shirt to be ready for the festivities the next day at the lake.
What a great way to kick off the summer.
— Lorraine Clark
