I spent last night with Ann at the Moisture Festival, an annual four-week run of comedy and variety acts that is the largest in the world (four those four weeks anyway). My aunt suggested we go and, since it was Ann’s birthday (and I’m an admittedly poor present buyer), going to see some live performances seemed like fun AND made for a great birthday evening. Yes, she’s an April Fool :-), but I’m not fool to be with her!

There were comedy acts, singing, acrobatics, juggling, and just plain silliness. If you are in Seattle during the festival I highly recommend it.

Oh boy Oberto hydroplane. One of the boats used in the Madison movie.

Not long after Ann and I met in 2011 we decided we wanted to visit the Hydroplane & Raceboat Museum in Kent, Washington (It’s only a few miles from mom and dad’s place). She’d grown up with hydroplane racing in the tri-cities and race weekend was a yearly event at my grandmother’s house, so we both had a sentimental attachment to them. And though we’ve traveled all over, we’ve never found the time to make it to the museum, until yesterday.

Joining us on this mini-adventure were my mother, my aunt Marilyn and uncle Phil. I knew they would enjoy the museum, because mom and Marilyn grew up near Seward Park and had a yearly view from their back porch of Lake Washington’s hydro races. They had fond memories of the yearly races as kids and young adults, telling me that at the time the races were as important to the city of Seattle as the Seahawks are today. It was a BIG deal!

The Hyrdroplane museum was launched in 1983 to honor the history of the race boats and is the only museum in the nation dedicated to powerboat racing. It started in a small location that I’m told wasn’t too glamorous. At some point the museum was able to move into it’s current facility, which doubles as a museum/research facility and restoration shop.

Museum entrance

Sure enough, as soon as we got inside the museum, mom, Marilyn and Phil were rattling off names of boats I never knew: Such Crust, Short Circuit, Miss Tahoe, Tri-Tomic, Coral Reef, and others.

The museum’s lobby. At the bottom of the photo is an Allison motor. Originally costing $14k, it was sold as surplus equipment for $350. No wonder boat racers used the motor!

Volunteers at the museum offered to guide us around and tell stories. Mom, Marilyn and Phil offered plenty additional stories, so it was a rich experience for Ann and I. The museum had a number of hydroplanes familiar to me, including Atlas Van Lines, Oh Boy Oberto, Miss Budweiser, Slo-Mo-Shun-III, Miss Wahoo, and a few others.

There are also a large number of mini models called the pinhead collection that had been painstakingly made.

the pinhead collection

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Mike forward this video from Dirt Every Day that shows them refurbishing a neglected Willys Wagon into a running machine. The episode is 22 minutes long.

Here’s an unusual item.

“Somewhat odd collectable- 4.5″ Clear Green Glass Plate with a Jeep CJ5 on it. Since the Jeep was manufactured in Toledo, Ohio it may be a tie in to that city’s dominance in Glass production? In very good condition, one rough spot on rim.”

View all the information on eBay