BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – After the unexpected loss of Owen Morton at the Hannegan Speedway this past May, his family is encouraging the community to attend “Owen’s Day in the Dirt,” an event geared toward celebrating and honoring his life.
In an interview with KGMI Owen’s father Ben shared that he is working with the Hannegan Speedway and the Skagit Community Foundation to open a foundation that will preserve his son’s legacy.
“The foundation is mainly going to go toward helping injured riders with medical bills,” Ben said in the interview. “It’s a goal of mine to attract people to the sport in Owen’s honor, because he did really love the sport throughout his life.”
Owen’s Injured Riders and Gear for Kids Foundation will both assist riders with recovery and provide gear for individuals who need it.
The event is scheduled to take place on Sunday, Aug. 18, at 7 a.m. and the track will be open to riders from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. Owen’s Day in the Dirt already has over a dozen sponsors who have donated food and items for a silent auction and raffle.
Entry is $10 at the gate and registration is $30, along with a free shirt for the first 200 riders. In honor of Owen being a part of the Meridian School District, fellow Meridian students and their families will have their gate fee and registration waved upon presenting their student ID.
“The community reached out to us with a go fund me, which covered Owen’s life flight and pretty much all of his medical bills. There was still extra money, so we wanted to do something to give back to the community,” said Ben when explaining what originally sparked the idea for the event and foundation.
Ben Morton hopes to take the foundation to a national level, in an effort to raise awareness for the frequency of rider injuries and importance of wearing safety gear.
The event is geared toward all ages and experience levels. Community members are simply encouraged to come out to the speedway, watch riders do some laps, grab a bite and support the foundation— all in remembrance of Owen.
