Dog Days: Union Plans Charity Event With Pacific Raceways

KENT – Machinists Union District Lodge 751 is once again teaming up with Pacific Raceways for their annual “Dog Days” charity fundraising event.

The annual Pacific Raceways Guide Dogs Fundraiser will be Aug. 17-19 at the Pacific Raceways drag strip, which is at 31001 144th Ave. SE in Kent.

District 751 is selling discount tickets for Pacific Raceways’ NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Race Series top fuel dragster and funny car races, which will take place that weekend.

Tickets are $5 and good for one days’ entry to the races. Tickets are on sale at all District 751 union halls in Puget Sound, in Auburn, Everett, Renton and Seattle.

All proceeds will go to Guide Dogs of America, a California-based charity that provides service dogs at no charge to people across North America who are blind or have impaired vision.

Machinists District 751 is the top fundraiser for Guide Dogs of America. Last year, members of the union collected more than $263,000 for the charity.

In addition to the professionals, amateur racers from District 751 will take part in the weekend’s activities, said Robley Evans, who heads up the Pacific Raceways event for the union.

“There are probably 15 Machinists Union guys who race,” he said. “Everything from drag racers to motorcycles.”

Originally formed in 1935 to represent hourly workers at the Boeing Co., District Lodge 751 of the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers now represents some 32,000 working men and women at 48 employers across Washington, Oregon and California. In 2011, members of the union’s Machinists Volunteer Program gave more than 10,000 hours of their time to community service, while other volunteers collected more than $263,000 for Guide Dogs of America, the union’s charity of choice.

For more information about District 751, read the Machinists News.