EVANSTON — The annual Main Street Amazing Race again had two-person teams racing around the downtown area on the evening of Friday, Aug. 16, in an effort to be the first team to complete challenges at local businesses. More businesses participated this year, as teams had to visit 21 different locations compared to last year’s 15. 

This year’s first-place team consisted of Emileigh Hillstead and Easton Kopp, representing the Evanston Youth Club, who finished second in the 2018 Amazing Race. Second-place finishers were Rocco O’Neill and Brinae Sanders, sponsored by Harris Law, and the third-place team was comprised of Dave and Cindy Chandler, representing Second Hand Rose. 

Challenges on Friday evening included a wide variety of tasks, including moving furniture on and off a moving truck at Cazin’s, sinking a golf putt while wearing goggles at Kallas NAPA Auto, playing cornhole at both Kate’s and For Pete’s Sake and doing yoga at both Bearfoot Yoga and Wellness and Wyoming Moonflower Yoga. 

At iSolvU Escape Room, participants had to crack a code, while at Ana’s on Main Street competitors had to race to pick up and move individual coffee beans from a plate to a cup — using only a straw held in their mouths. 

A stop at Second Hand Rose required participants to roll giant dice until doubles were rolled and a visit to the Eagles forced them to break out their skills with a hula hoop. Varsity Ink’s challenge had folks designing T-shirts, of course, and Home Décor, known for their beautiful gift wrapping, had participants showing off their own wrapping skills — while wearing oven mitts. 

Other stops included answering music and beer trivia at Suds Bros., moving an Oreo cookie from forehead to mouth using only facial muscles at Main Street Deli, demonstrating some computer knowledge at NGL, racing plastic cups using air from inflated balloons at 1st Bank and doing some stick-horse barrel racing at a Boot Barn booth. 

At Jones Allstate Insurance, participants had to attempt to build a multi-story house of cards, only to have mayhem ensue when Todd Jones himself blew it all down with a leaf-blower because players “didn’t have insurance.” A stop at Mountain Music gave competitors an option of playing music with ukuleles or kazoos. 

The challenge at R&R Station required participants to replace table-top condiments exactly as restaurant employees do based on guesswork. Finally, DJ Kevin Kallas had competitors “name that tune.” 

Kallas played music throughout the entirety of the event and into the evening afterward, and To the Pointe Dance Studio was on site selling hamburgers and hot dogs as a studio fundraiser. 

Competitors were encouraged to wear costumes for this year’s event, with the prize for best costumes going to Brian and Sheila McGuire, who donned Star Trek: The Next Generation Starfleet uniforms to compete. All winners received Main Street Promotions’ Main Street dollars in prize money.