Support Hudson Athletics during Night at the Races 

by Emily Canning-Dean 

Whether it is purchasing new uniforms, offering scholarships or funding capital improvements at Hudson High School, the Hudson Athletic Booster Club is committed to supporting Hudson High School athletes and one of their major fundraisers is right around the corner. 

The club will host the 2025 Night at the Races Saturday, March 15, at the Lake Forest Country Club, 100 Lake Forest Dr. Doors open at 6 p.m. and dinner is at 6:30 p.m. 

Virtual horse races will be shown throughout the night on a big screen. Attendees can bet on horses each race for a chance to win cash prizes. The evening will also include a silent auction, hors d’oeuvres, dinner and an open bar for four hours. 

“This is the fourth year we have had the event, but this is the second year where we have had it here in Hudson,” said April Dirker of the Hudson Athletic Booster Club. “I think changing the venue to Hudson, where we can have an open bar and create an atmosphere where people can enjoy a party and a huge social gathering has really helped.” 

Tickets are $100, and Dirker strongly recommends reserving them in advance instead of trying to purchase tickets at the door the night of the event. 

“This year, we are able to have 230 guests,” she said. “Last year, we were able to do only 200 and we actually had to turn people away at the door. Right now, I think there are about 97 tickets left, so I would recommend booking them in advance.”

Anyone interested in booking tickets can visit https://www.hudsonboosterclub.org/night-at-the-races. Visitors to the site will find a variety of ways to support the event including sponsoring a table, sponsoring a race, sponsoring a coach or sponsoring a horse. Businesses and organizations can also buy an ad that will be placed in the program the evening of the event. Raffle tickets can also be pre-purchased for $5 each on the website. 

Dirker said the event raised roughly $15,000 last year and she hopes this year’s event will fare the same or better than last year. 

“Night at the Races is one of our three main fundraising events each year,” she said. “This is our big spring event, then in the summer we have our booster club membership drive and then in the early fall, we have our 5K race.” 

Dirker said the Night at the Races and the 5K race event have helped the booster club to do more to support Hudson High School athletes. “By adding Night at the Races, we are able to provide additional funding to our teams, and it has allowed us to increase our scholarships from offering $1,000 to two students to offering $2,000 to four students,” she said.