Saturday, Aug. 17, featured another installment of the Patton Lawnmower Races at Patton Saddle Club.

The next race date on the schedule will be Saturday, Aug. 31.

Harley Miller of Advance was competing in Saturday’s races.

“This is my first year,” she said. “I missed the first race (in March). I’ve always loved watching it. I grew up on dirt bikes and motorcycles, and I like to go fast, so I wanted to do it.”

The uniqueness of it also is an attraction.

“It’s a lawn mower,” Miller said. “Not many people race lawn mowers. They expect something that goes slow, and you actually watch it, and they go quick.”

When not racing, Miller said they get the lawn mowers ready to race.

“Every other Saturday, we fix it up,” she said. “We tweak the engine, check the engine oil, gas, steering, tires,” she said.

Miller’s two sons, Elliot Miller, 7, and Cole Miller, also race.

The youngest racers are 5 while the oldest giving it a try are in the their 70s, and possibly older, Miller said.

Cassondra Folkerts of Ste. Genevieve was watching her grandson, Jayce Parmer, compete in a go-kart race.

Parmer started racing at age 7. He is now 11.

While there are other opportunities to race, they mainly compete in two places.

“We just do Ste. Genevieve and Patton now. We just do the local thing,” she said. “This is a lawn mower track, and we got invited to come down.

The go-karts are specially geared for racing, Folkerts noted.

“They basically have a go-kart on steroids frame,” she said. “They run a standard 212 predator motor, and the rest of it is really up to the boys’ driving abilities and weight.”

Lawn mower races typically take place twice a month starting in early spring. August has three racing nights (Aug. 3, Aug. 17 and Aug. 31) while September also include three racing Saturdays, Sept. 14, Sept. 27 and 28, with the final two evenings for nationals.

The first day on the schedule is a “test and tune”, while officially racing began March 16. The last racing date is Saturday, Nov. 2, which is set aside as a make-up date and the season finals.