By Christy Wagner, Editor

The 36-year-old Shootout has weathered many storms and withstood countless waves, but it has done so on the backs of hundreds of loyal and steadfast volunteers. The true essence and unique beauty of this incredible event is so much more than just go-fast boats and street parties. It’s more than sponsorship sales, safety meetings, and yearlong, behind-the-scenes planning for the ‘next best year’ to come. The Shootout functions and flourishes because of its manifold of volunteers who show up and check IDs, control traffic, sell merchandise, bridge communication, supervise parking, oversee setup and grounds cleanup, distribute 10,000 LOTO Race Guides across three counties, man poker run stops, place and take down equipment, manage docks, assist production crews, prepare food, and wear their volunteer shirts with the utmost pride upon their backs.

Our volunteers are the kind of people who will fold Shootout apparel at 2024 merchandise tents until right before the very end, just like Margie Frazier. She gave her all to the Shootout up until the very end.

“Margie always rallied the Coffman Bend volunteers to be there whenever they were needed, and she is a Shootout Hall of Famer for a reason,” said Assistant Director and Volunteer Liaison Rickie Smith. “She was always there for the Shootout.”

“Margie was a dedicated volunteer who was dearly loved by everyone who knew her, including myself,” explained Shootout Board President Mark Maasen (2024-present). “You could always count on her to be there in any time of need and she will be greatly missed. The Shootout was a better place with Margie in it.”

In line with Maasen’s sentiments, Shootout Executive Director Leah Martin (2021-present) expressed great remorse in losing such a key member of a tightknit group serving an unparalleled cause.

“Margie was one of a kind,” reflected Martin. “She wasn’t just a volunteer, but she was ingrained in our lives. Our meetings won’t be the same without her cookies, giggles, and innumerable questions. She made many of us homemade quilts for our children and when she found out that my daughter had received a dollhouse for Christmas, she gave us her 80+ year-old baby dolls from her childhood. She loved my family beyond just our work for the Shootout, as she loved many others. Her legacy will live on through the many lives that she touched throughout her lifetime and service to the Shootout, and it was a privilege to have had her in our lives. I will be forever thankful to have known her.”

Godspeed, Margie. Keep watch for us from up above.