WOW! WHAT A…15th ANNUAL WATERFRONT FESTIVAL
JUNE 20, 2009
Ahhhh, the smell of wet cardboard was all around. Yes, it was pouring rain the day of the boat regatta and I figured the turnout would be low, so I wouldn’t go either. Then my friends started calling. They said it was only sprinkling in Watkins and I should come, So I called my friend Liz, who lives in Horseheads. She thinks she is a weather map reader and said she would look on the Weather Channel. oh yeah, she says, within 3 hours the rain will be gone. That would be right about the time the boat race starts, so off I went. It was my friend Dave’s birthday, so I had him ride along, me being the designated driver so he could have as much Captain and coke as he wanted. I don’t know why, but to my friends, Paula, Deanna, Lori…the black clouds and rain coming down over Watkins didn’t look as bad as the black clouds and rain coming down in Elmira. And then, they’re texting and calling asking what was taking so long. Oh, I don’t know, something about having to park 2 flipping miles away from the waterfront! Liz, I found out, was a terrible weather map reader.
I noticed that rain, thunder, lightening, hail, sleet even snow probably wasn’t going to stop these people from attending the boat regatta. I couldn’t believe the turnout…in the rain! There was probably 1500 people there, everyone having fun…as you can see from the pics! And as far as the rain….see all the wet people. None of us cared! Bad hair day….nah!
The dock was loaded with people and the rocks were completely lined. The Village Marina was crowded with people eating, drinking and listening to live music featuring Brett Beardsley. Check out our friend Bob showering under the gutter of rain! One of the local churches was selling hot dogs, and as you can see from the pic, we were all up for it. My friends from left, Paula, Liz, me, Jesse, Lori and Deanna were starving! It’s a good thing he showed up because we wouldn’t have left the fun to get food. Then there’s the group knocking water off their tent umbrella yelling that it was leaking like a cheap Coleman tent. Jesse was having a hard time keeping dry because his little umbrella turned inside out. What did he do? He duct taped it…what else would you do at a cardboard boat race!!
The first team I encountered with their pretty purple, pink and green boat was to raise money for the American Cancer Society. They also had a tent set up selling raffle tickets for big prizes and mardi gras beads that ended up around the necks of all my friends. The Elmira City School District also had a boat. The team put in a lot of hard work and had a great time with their school bus themed boat. They gladly posed for their pic! Everyone was wondering why there was a girl, relentlessly paddling toward the finish line in just a little purple box. Well, it was actually a boat that broke in half, leaving her teammate in yet another little purple box. They rowed and rowed and rowed, the crowd roared with cheers when they finally made it to the finish line!
And you gotta love the pic of Jon Drake, owner of Jon Drake Heating, sporting a lovely pink and jeweled umbrella. See, everyone just wanted to be there watching the race (some would go to any length to keep dry). The Watkins Glen Fire Rescue spent the entire afternoon, hard at work pulling contestants from the water, as well as soggy hunks of cardboard. The dumpsters, as you can see, were completely full. Yet….is that contestants trying to put their humongous boat on top?!
By the time the last boat launched, from team Jerlando’s Pizza, the rain was the heaviest it had been all day. Did that stop them? Look at the pic….they had so much duct tape that there couldn’t have been a store within 50 miles that had any on their shelves!
What a day…my friends, Paula, who is in the pic refusing to come down of the bench for fear of “losing my spot”, Deanna, Liz, Jesse, Bob, Dave, Lori, Sue, Juri, Jana, and myself…..were part of a day where everyone was having a great time. And more great times for this summer are in store! Oh and Jesse….you forgot your umbrella, but don’t worry we brought it back for you!
Tags: Events, Friends —
June 16th, 2009 at 3:22 pm
Leslie, We need to make sure we keep you out of the cardboard boats. With the way you talk, they would get disqualified for having a motor! Gotchya! Luv ya!
June 18th, 2009 at 8:55 am
Very funny….very, very funny!
June 18th, 2009 at 10:09 am
i guess its better than strawberry daiquiri all down the front of you. let’s stick to the clear beverages this weekend Leslie! :O) haha
June 18th, 2009 at 10:32 am
No STRAWS allowed!!
June 18th, 2009 at 10:52 am
i believe sippy cups are made for adults now for those who have difficulty with adult utensils. haha
June 18th, 2009 at 11:53 am
We can get Leslie a head set!
June 20th, 2009 at 5:00 pm
Was a wet day at the Regatta!
Some boats fell apart before hitting the water.
June 20th, 2009 at 9:39 pm
The regatta was fun tons of boats did well. And even with the rain people made the best of it.
June 21st, 2009 at 9:31 am
Great time at the Regatta!! Rain, who cared! Just need to know who to be with to have a great time…… Leslie, get the pics up! Even though we all looked like soaked rats….LOL Happy Birthday Dave! luv ya!
June 21st, 2009 at 9:35 am
OMG, almost forgot, Will somebody tell Jesse that we saved his abandoned and broken umbrella!
June 22nd, 2009 at 2:44 pm
The effort put into the boats was amazing..Artists at work..I am not a bad weather reader…. I was just being optomistic..Quack,Quack, God! Those hot dogs were GREAT! Wait until you see Bob taking a shower outside under the gutter..OOOHHH LALA Bob….What a great day with all my friends…
June 23rd, 2009 at 11:27 am
The pics look great Leslie! Awesome job… It was a wild and crazy day on Senecal lake. Recap: Rain, Live Music, Alcohol, Firemen, Friends (taking showers), Men with pink umbrellas, Men with broken umbrellas, HOT DOGS, More rain, More live music, More Alcohol, Cardboard boats all over the place, and lines for the bathrooms, the combination of it all made for an unforgettable day. Even without alcohol consumption myself, I had the best time with everyone!
June 23rd, 2009 at 12:31 pm
Yeah….I was the designated driver and had a great time! I forgot about those long bathroom lines, remember Liz went in the men’s bathroom?! haha!
June 23rd, 2009 at 10:57 pm
Hey, I only went in the men’s room until my marina key came and I took all of you into the private bathrooms. How come you only remember the MEN’S ROOM…..mmmmm…I HOWEVER WILL NEVER FORGET THE SMELL. NEVER AGAIN….NOTHINN SAYS LOVIN LIKE THE MARINA MENS ROOM OVEN..