Does anyone remember the 1st Hardy Party? I do as I was there along with Tom Earhart, Gary James, Casey Fleastra, John Haas, Doug Kaamaraad, Steve Amoto And many more of the fast drag boat guys from Gun Lake. I believe the 1st year was 1981-1982 when we were all getting chased down by the Sheriff on Gun Lake for speed and noise. 55mph was the speed limit and if you were racing anyone you were chased down and got a ticket. So along comes a guy to Gun Lake who has this black and orange flat bottm drag boat with a name on it called "Trick or Treat". His name was Talbot (cant remember his 1st name) and he was looking to race the fastest boats on the lake namely Tom Earhart but there was the same old problem! the cops were out in force and as soon as he fired it up at the landing there they were telling him to put back on the trailer. Being that it was Laborday weekend he said to all of us hey come up to my place next weekend at Hardy Dam as the cops go home after this weekend and we can race all we want with no speed or noise restrictions all weekend. Well we did and had some of the most fun ever with all the Fast Drag Boats. The racing was incredible and I'm not sure but I believe the Trick or Treat boat walked away with all the Gold and glory that weekend (it may have been Earhart my memory is slipping) however it started the competion as every year the race for Top Dog was alot of guys wanting to grab that title and I got to say we sure had fun. Every year since then it seemed to grow as more boaters heard about it and came to watch the action or try for the Top Dog title. Then it grabbed some magazine coverage and it wasnt just the Gun Lake Gang against the world it was a party and out came the live music the corporate advertizing, the dancing girls, showing all for beads and "Holy-Crap" we have a party!!!! But now, once again along came the cops and the all the go-fast rules. Anyone with more names and info on the Old Gun Lake gang please fill in their names and boats as there were some Bad Ass boats back then, Hydros, Jets, Flat bottoms, Tunnel bottoms, Hydro streams, skaters. Outboards, V8's, Blowers, alchol injection, nitrous, you name and it, it was tried.