Sonoma resident Mitch Mulas has been named Grand Marshal of the PEAK Antifreeze & Motor Oil Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma County weekend at Infineon Raceway, Aug. 22-24.
Mulas has been an integral part of the Sonoma Valley community for more than 50 years, including chief of the Schell-Vista Volunteer Fire Department for more than 40 years. He began as a volunteer with the fire service in 1942 and was promoted to fire chief in 1968.
"I started back when I was in high school. We pretty much had a gunny sack and a bucket of water to fight the fires," Mulas, 80, remembers. "We thought at the beginning of World War II, with Mare Island (in Vallejo) being so close, it would be a good idea to form the department. It's a community service, No. 1. If you live in a community, you should do something that benefits the area."
Mulas, as well as all firefighters, will be honored during Firefighter Appreciation Day, which will take place on Sunday of race weekend. The day will serve as a tribute to the more than 17,000 men and women who have been dispatched to fires this summer from Shasta Trinity National Forest to Southern California. It has been one of the most challenging summers in recent memory in California.
"A volunteer fire department is the purest example of community members working together to support and protect one another, but that kind of cooperative effort can only succeed with the leadership of people like Mitch Mulas," said Steve Page, president and general manager of Infineon Raceway. "The leadership Mitch and his family have provided for more than half a century has made us all safer in this community and on a day when we salute firefighters throughout California, I can think of no one more appropriate to serve as our Grand Marshal."
Mulas will be recognized at the 4th annual Children's Champions IndyCar Grand Prix Fiesta, Aug. 22, at the beautiful BR Cohn Winery in Glen Ellen. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Valley of the Moon Teen Center and Hanna Boys Center in Sonoma through Speedway Children's Charities, the charitable arm of Infineon Raceway. Mulas will also participate in the start command on Sunday, prior to the beginning of the IndyCar® Series main event.
"It is an honor for them to recognize me. We've always recognized the racetrack as part of our community. It's quite a deal out there now compared to 40 years ago," said Mulas.
For more information about the race weekend or for tickets, call 800-870-RACE or visit www.infineonraceway.com. For tickets to the Children's Champions IndyCar Grand Prix Fiesta, contact Denise Silver at (707) 933-3950 or dsilver@infineonraceway.com. Tickets to the event are $200 each or a table of 10 for $2,000.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
