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Harrisburg native to debut book on Accelaquarter Raceway over Labor Day Weekend

HARRISBURG - Whether you're a car lover, a fan of local history, both or neither, Mark Brothers wants to share with you his story of a local "outlaw."

The "outlaw" in question is a reference both to Harrisburg's Accelaquarter Raceway drag strip and the title of Brother's book documenting the 56-year history of the raceway just north of Harrisburg off Illinois 34.

"OUTLAW, the Life and Times of Accelaquarter Raceway, 1963-Present" will make its public debut Monday, Sept. 2 at the annual Memory Lane Labor Day Cruise held at the Saline County Fairgrounds.

Brothers, who lived in Harrisburg from 1954 until 1984, spent two years compiling, documenting, writing and arranging the layout of the 260-page history of the drag strip. It's a testament to Brothers' love of cars and the local area.

"Our goal is to preserve local and regional history," Brothers said.

Brad Crick, a friend of Brothers and fellow car guy from Harrisburg, said the amount of detail the book contains is mind-boggling. More than 600 photos fill the book, along with stories about those who raced there.

"Mark did a tremendous job with this book," Crick said. "This is something a lot of people from this area will want to read. Anyone who ever has raced there or been there will get a lot of enjoyment out of this book."

Crick, who also is helping set up the Labor Day cruise at Accelaquarter, said many of the people involved with the track, which changed ownership at various times during its history, have committed to being present for the festivities that day.

"Something else that's exciting is there will be quite a few cars that raced on that track on display," Crick said. "This is an event people won't want to miss."

Brothers is selling copies with a full-color cover and black-and-white pages for $22. Two other versions of the book will be available at other prices, and availability of those books will be announced later. Brothers also will present a website address for those who wish to purchase copies. However, a limited number of copies will be available at the cruise, with the added bonus of having the author on hand to autograph them.

Also at the cruise, which has registration for car entries from 9 a.m. to noon, there will be live entertainment from Repeat Offenders and DJ Big Elvis. Concessions also will be on hand, and there will be 50/50 and other cash drawings the whole day. The event, hosted by Shawnee Classic Iron and sponsored by the Saline County Tourism Board, will donate a portion of proceeds to Caring For Kids food program. In addition, any profit from Brothers' book also will go to the program.

For more information, call Crick at (618) 926-4565 or email him at cbcrick69@yahoo.com if you prefer. In addition, you can follow the event on Facebook at MemoryLane AutoFest.

Mark Brothers, the author of "OUTLAW, the Life and Times of Accelaquarter Raceway, 1963-Present" is featured in this photo of his book. PHOTO COURTESY OF MARK BROTHERS
Brad Crick of Harrisburg, who is helping organize the ninth annual Memory Lane Auto Fest at the Accelaquarter Raceway on the north edge of Harrisburg, sits in front of his Camaro. TRAVIS DENEAL PHOTO
The front cover of Mark Brothers' book detailing the history of Harrisburg's drag strip. TRAVIS DENEAL PHOTO