Sixteen teams have signed up to compete in the 13th annual Steuart Pennington's World Championship Running Of The Tubs June 2 on Central Avenue in downtown Hot Springs, Visit Hot Springs said Wednesday.
This year's teams are as follows:
ā¢ Traditional Division (cast iron tubs) -- The Waters Hotel; Riser Ford (two-year champions); Window Mart; Superior Bathhouse/State Pride Provisions; LakePointe; Hawg Wash; and Visit Hot Springs.
ā¢ Modified Division (plastic or fiberglass tubs) -- Hot Springs Fire Department; Hot Springs Police Department (reigning champions and Battle of the Badge champion); The Arlington Hotel; The Austin Weirdos; Habitat For Humanity; Quapaw Baths/Jason International; Hot Springs National Park Tub 01; Hot Springs National Park Tub 02; and Peters Paint & Flooring.
A 17th tub, "Bubby's Tub," in honor of the race's namesake, will also be present, but does not participate in the races.
Visit Hot Springs also announced that a full day of related activities will be offered to the public in Hill Wheatley Plaza following the races.
"We're adding a full day of games, activities, food and live music at the Tubs Party in Hill Wheatley Plaza immediately after the races are completed and the awards are handed out," said Bill Solleder, director of marketing for Visit Hot Springs, the race's sponsor.
Preliminary activities will begin at 3 p.m. Friday, May 25, when the competing teams will be assigned into brackets in a ceremony at the presenting sponsor, the Bathhouse Soapery, 366 Central Ave. The bracket selections will be broadcast live at https://www.facebook.com/visithotsprings/.
On Friday, June 1, starting at 5 p.m., the competing tubs will be set up in Hill Wheatley Plaza, 629 Central Ave., for the annual Judging of the Tubs at 6 p.m.
At 9 a.m. on race day, June 2, the annual Battle of the Badge head-to-head competition between the defending champion Hot Springs Police Department and the Hot Springs Fire Department will kick off the day's event.
The official Running Of The Tubs will take place following the Battle of the Badge. The heats start at the Arlington Resort Hotel & Spa and go south to the 500 block of Central, in front of Bathhouse Row.
The awards presentation will begin at 11 a.m. in Hill Wheatley Plaza, followed at noon by the newly inaugurated Tubs Party in the same location.
"The Tubs Party will have food trucks, bouncy houses, a climbing wall, cold beer and live music until the sun goes down," Solleder said. "Admission is free and it's all open to the public."
The live music lineup will include the following:
ā¢ Noon -- Oh Mercy, featuring Steuart Pennington's brother, Jim.
ā¢ 2 p.m. -- Dazz & Brie, a funk/R&B group from Little Rock.
ā¢ 4 p.m. -- Couch Jackets, an indie rock band from Hot Springs.
ā¢ 6 p.m. -- Shilpa Ray, an indie rock band from Brooklyn, N.Y.
The teams will compete for the Steuart Pennington Cup, named for the late Hot Springs businessman who conceived the idea of the races.
"The races were begun 13 years ago as the Steuart Pennington Running Of The Tubs, and Mr. Pennington will still be honored as the motivating force behind the event with the awarding of the Steuart Pennington Cup to the winning teams," Solleder said "Mr. Pennington was a longtime downtown merchant who pushed for the bathtub races to acknowledge Hot Springs' rich history as a world-renowned thermal-bathing destination."
Local on 05/24/2018