A crustacean competition that used to be a spring tradition in Aiken is scheduled to return in 2020.
The Lobster Races will be held the evening of May 1, the day before the Kentucky Derby, said co-founder Todd Stilp in a telephone interview Friday.
The 30th and most recent edition of the Lobster Races was in 2014. There were children's rides, live music and a community stage for performances in addition to the races, which took place in a transparent tank.
“After 30 years, we reached a point where it was time to sit there and let everything unwind for a while,” Stilp said. “With the downtown dynamics changing and the marketplace changing, the event was due for an update. When we stopped it, our intention was always to revive it and bring it back.”
During the hiatus, Stilp and the other Lobster Races co-founders, Chuck Martin and Stu Maurice, have been laying the groundwork for the event’s return.
“We’ve discussed it behind the scenes with key people,” Stilp said. “Bringing in my children and Chuck’s children will help take it to the next level.”
