DePue Men’s Club to mark 
25th anniversary of boat races

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DEPUE — The DePue Men’s club will be celebrating the 25th Anniversary of hosting the APBA PRO National Championship boat races on Lake DePue on July 31 through Aug. 2.

The races are known around DePue and the country as one of the greatest shows on water.

Last year’s races brought close to 200 boats from 22 states and a crowd of 35,000 to the tiny Bureau County village over the two days of testing, three days of racing and four nights of entertainment.

There will be an admission charge of $3 per person for the races. Entertainment in the evening is free. Guy Lombardo’s Royal Canadians and DePue native Al Pierson will perform  from 6 to 8 p.m. on July 29.

Sanctioned testing will be held at 10 a.m. July 29-30 and at 9:30 a.m. July 31. Racing begins at 1 p.m. July 31 and noon on Aug. 1-2.

Publicity chairman Eric Bryant said the Men’s Club is close to learning the IEPA’s decision on what will happen to the lake and the environmental hazards surrounding it. You may visit www.villageofdepue.com to watch a video on the concerns for the lake.

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