For 80 years‚ boat racers and spectators have descended on Kankakee County for the Kankakee River Valley Regatta. The only trouble‚ organizers found‚ was the name.

The race is not a genteel competition‚ with sailors navigating the waters powered only by Mother Nature’s fickle breeze. No‚ this race is about horsepower‚ and plenty of it.

In 2006‚ event organizers changed the title to the Powerboat National Championships‚ alerting all that speeds must be measured by stopwatches‚ not sundials.

“It’s a more accurate description of the event‚” says Joe Walz‚ the race organizer.

Whatever the name‚ the event is one of the crown jewels for the nation’s top powerboat racers. Admission to the sport’s Hall of Champions must be accompanied by participation in the event.

The 2006 race was held Labor Day Weekend. It traditionally attracts 50-60 boats from around the world‚ plus 25‚000-30‚000 spectators.

“It’s one of the few national events that are hosted in a community this size‚” Walz says.

And the race’s appeal will only grow. In 2007‚ the world championships will be contested on Sunday and the national championships on Monday.

When darkness falls and the powerboat motors are idled‚ the river remains alive. The annual Blues on the River festival is conducted the Saturday evening of race weekend‚ followed by a fireworks show.

While the race and its accompanying events are the biggest attraction in the community‚ it is not the only time when the river serves as the bait. For two weeks in July‚ anglers from throughout the region compete in the annual Kankakee River Valley Fishing Derby‚ sponsored by the Northern Illinois Anglers Association.

More than 1‚400 men‚ women and children entered the 2005 event in a variety of competitions.

“There’s excellent walleye and smallmouth fishing‚ plus numerous other species‚” NIAA member and Derby Chairman Donald Anderson says of the Kankakee River.

For residents‚ the river is a year-round resource‚ with the Kankakee River State Park providing ample opportunities to enjoy it. Fishing and canoeing are two of the more popular activities that include the river‚ though the park’s 11 miles of property on both sides of the river allow the waters to serve as a gorgeous backdrop to biking‚ hiking‚ camping‚ cross-country skiing and other park pastimes.

Walz‚ who works as general manager of the Holiday Inn Express in Borbonnais‚ says the community is just now realizing what a tremendous asset it has in the river.

“It’s one of the cleanest rivers in the United States‚” Walz says. “It’s just a huge resource for the community‚ and we’re now focusing on that.”