06/29/2025
From the Great Illinois River Raft Race Committee:
What an incredible day on the water and on the riverfront — THANK YOU to everyone who made the 2025 Great Illinois River Raft Race one to remember!
To our fearless rafters, thank you for bringing creativity, courage, and chaos (the good kind). To our safety crews and officials, your watchful eyes and quick actions kept everyone safe and afloat — we couldn’t do it without you.
A huge shoutout to our vendors, food trucks, and entertainers for keeping the crowd happy and well-fed. Special thanks to Straight Home for running a smooth beer tent, and to The Cryptkickers and Trojan for providing the soundtrack to our river party!
To the Calhoun football team — your muscle, hustle, and constant trash patrol kept the entire event running clean and smooth. We see you, and we appreciate you.
We’re grateful to the Village of Hardin for their support and for sponsoring the fireworks that lit up the sky in spectacular fashion. And thank you to our fireworks provider for ending the night with a bang!
To our sponsors — your support makes this day possible year after year. And to our guests, near and far — you showed up in style and spirit, and we’re grateful you chose to spend the day with us in beautiful Hardin.
Until next year — keep floating, keep dreaming, and keep making waves!
With heartfelt thanks,
The Great Illinois River Raft Race Committee
