ers’ pit area. “The pits where the boats stay is all in one area with the spectators. The drivers are really nice. They love to answer questions and show their boats off. The kids get to talk to the guys and get autographs. It’s a pretty light-hearted atmosphere,” Crabb said. “Families just come and bring their bag chairs, their lawn chairs and blankets and sit on the grass. Even the name of the Crabb team has a tongue-in-cheek meaning. “We call our team “Last Minute Racing” and put the name on the boat. It turned into kind of a joke because no matter how hard you try, you’re always scrambling last minute loading stuff up to get everything ready for the race,” he said. But, when it comes to raising money for Cypress Basin Hospice and bringing tourism dollars into Mount Pleasant, its serious business. “We have so many sponsors that donate because they know what this event
does for Mount Pleasant and for Hospice,” Crabb said. With each team bringing an average of 4-7 people with them, about 60 hotel rooms are booked for the weekend, restaurants are packed and gas stations stay busy. “There’s quite a bit of commerce that takes place over that weekend, so it’s a good little cash flow injection for the city,” Crabb said. Chamber CEO Faustine Curry said Quake on Town Lake is a great event for Mount Pleasant. “With 40 teams coming in from all over the region to our community, it’s a great economic boost for us and the proceeds go to one of our local charities,” Curry said. “It’s also a fun event for the whole family with lots of action and excitement.” One hundred percent of the proceeds from the admission tickets will benefit Cypress Basin Hospice. “They are a great organization, a great group
of people,” Crabb said of the non-profit organization that has provided familyoriented, compassionate end-of-life care for more than 25 years. “We will all face that at one point in our lives and in that time of need, you will need these people, so we want to support that.” Quake on Town Lake tickets are $7 for adults, $5 for kids and seniors and admission is free for children 5 and younger. There is a $10 fee to bring coolers into the park. For information, contact the Chamber office at 903-572-8567, Jacob Crabb at 903-466-1349 or Facebook.com/QuakeOnTownLake.
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