BERLIN– Straw bales will line the sidewalks and bathtubs will careen down the street next Friday as local businesses show off their speed and ingenuity in what has become the town’s most popular summer sporting event.
On Friday, June 9, the Berlin Chamber of Commerce will host the 33rd annual Berlin Bathtub Races. The event, which starts at 6 p.m., will feature more than a dozen competitors.
“The Bathtub Races are Berlin’s signature event,” said Ryan Nellans, executive director of the chamber. “We have all of these fun events like Jazz and Blues and the Fiddlers Convention, but as fun as they are you can find something similar in Ocean City, Baltimore, Philadelphia. You’re not going to find the Bathtub Races anywhere else.”
The races, which will be held at 6 p.m. on June 9, draw hundreds of onlookers to Main Street each year as fans line up to watch local organizations race their modified bathtubs. Nellans said he’d had plenty of interest in the races and expected at least a dozen teams to take part.
While some competitors will be racing first-time tubs, others are returning tried and true bathtubs. Not just any tub will do, as the bathtubs being raced have to be authentic and capable of holding at least two gallons of water. Wheels have to be less than 26 inches and the bathtub is required to have brakes and steering. For those seeking inspiration for building a racing tub, the champion tub used for years by Jesse Turner of the Berlin Shoe Box is on display in the town’s welcome center. Retired from its racing days, it is now used to collect donations of shoes for Diakonia, a local shelter.