Crim race day party spot ending 20-year run in Flint

Fashionable ‘nut’ hangout  also helped raise money for the Special Olympics

By Ross Maghielse
The Flint Journal

FLINT, Mich. (AP) — It’s last call for Cashew Point.

After 20 years of proudly being the spot “where all the nuts hang out” on race day at the Crim Festival of Races, the party will come to an end after this year’s race on Saturday.
Denny Donlan, who owns the house at the four-mile mark of the Crim course that hosts Cashew Point, is turning 70 shortly after this year’s race. He has decided enough is enough.

“We had always kind of thought that 20 years would be a good milestone,” said Ryan Donlan, Denny Donlan’s son. “My dad has done this from age 50 to age 70 and absolutely loved it. He wanted to do it as long as he had the energy to keep up with Flint and provide what Flint needed, but he never wanted to do just a partial job with it.”

The immediate impact: After this year’s race, runners who are so inclined will have to look elsewhere for their race day, mid-point beer and Krispy Kreme doughnuts.

But Cashew Point has been more than just a party haven for guilty pleasures.

Over the years, Donlan, whose family owns Donlan Fish and Seafood in Flint, has used Cashew Point to not only provide some entertainment for one of Flint’s largest events, but also help raise money for the Special Olympics. It’s a low-key effort, but one that has made a significant impact over the years.

“The science of that is actually pretty underwhelming, but the generosity of people over the years has been great,” Ryan Donlan said. “Nobody has to donate anything, but on race day my dad just passes a hat around and people can donate their spare change or any extra money they have with them and my dad has always donated as well. The Special Olympics folks have been special to my dad for many reasons. I guess the best way to say it is that he’s always been a big fan of people who overcome, so he’s always tried to help champion that effort.”

While the charitable aspect to Cashew Point, as well as Denny Donlan’s effort to publicize it, is subtle, the location come race day is anything but.

“Cashew Point is infamous,” Crim Race Director Patricia Ball said. “It’s not an official, sanctioned recovery zone of the Crim or something we’re in charge of, but it’s a place every year where runners can stop off for some beers and doughnuts. Not necessarily the healthiest part, but it’s up to them.”

Cashew Point’s “world famous” Bloody Marys begin getting stirred up as early as 6 a.m. The beer starts flowing at around 7. Runners coming to the Crim for the first time and not familiar with Cashew Point can expect to also hear some good-natured heckles shouted from a microphone as they pass by.

“It’s a wacky group of people, there’s no doubt about that,” Ryan Donlan said. “There’s always a crazy guy, or three, that gets a hold of the microphone, but it’s all in good fun. It is actually really hard to explain exactly what Cashew Point is.”

Some history might help. Before the Donlans’ home became Cashew Point, it was just the site of a party. It was an all-nighter on the eve of the Crim 20 years ago.

“It started with just a small group of people that were out there just having a good time,” Ryan Donlan said. “They were celebrating what the Crim was and celebrating Flint and they just partied all night.

“They were still out there in the morning and then all of a sudden runners started going by, so they started hooting and hollering a little bit and offering some beverages. It just took off from there.”

As Cashew Point celebrates its 20th and final year, the Donlan family is hoping to turn back the clock a bit. Plans are in the works to resurrect the band Champagne from the ‘80s to play at Cashew Point as the race begins to wind down. And as always, there will be plenty of beer and doughnuts to go around.

“The tagline for Cashew Point over the years has been that it is where all the nuts hang out, and I don’t expect it to be any different this year,” Ryan said. “As always, we’re inviting anybody out who wants to come and have a good time.”