Quicksilver still afloat — for now

Quicksilver needs a helping hand.

In an effort to keep the quicksilver hydroplane races and watersports festival afloat, Great Western Sports, a subsidiary of International Speedways Corp., the company behind the effort to land a Nascar track in Kitsap County, is agreeing to match an undisclosed amount in the thousands of dollars to help quicksilver meet its fund-raising needs.

“They’re committed to investing in the community,” said Darla Murker, acting director of the Silverdale Chamber of Commerce, which puts on the event. “What they want to show is their support for motor sports in Kitsap County, both on the track and in the water.”

Quicksilver, which began last year and received national honors, needs to raise $35,000 by the July 18 deadline for the event to take place this year.

“It costs a lot of money to put this on,” Murker said.

Quicksilver is free to attend and all proceeds from related sales of things like pit passes are donated to the Toys for Tots program.

Last year, in quicksilver’s debut, the chamber had the advantage of grant funding from the county’s hotel-motel tax. Still, even with the grant and multiple business sponsorships, the chamber had to draw about $10,000 from the chamber’s general fund.

“We’ve got a large number of sponsors,” Murker said. “But they’re small businesses that just can’t come up with $10,000.”

So in an effort to spur the community into stepping up to the sponsorship plate, GWS unveiled their proposal Monday.

“We felt like, as a part of the Kitsap County community, that we’re a corporate citizen with a good track record of being involved in events,” said Matt Rearden, vice president of Great Western Sports. “We felt like we have to support the community and motor sports in the community.”

While most of quicksilver’s sponsorship packages are meant for smaller area businesses, Murker said the chamber has custom-made packages for larger sponsorship contributions.

“We would really encourage other business folks and citizens to help support the chamber in this event,” Rearden said. “As a corporate philosophy, we like to be an integral part of the communities we’re in. It just so happens this opportunity presented itself to us.”

Any business or individuals interested in sponsoring quicksilver can contact the chamber at (360) 692-6800.

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