Great Lakes show moved up to August
For more than 40 years the North American In-Water Boat Show at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, has been a September boating event, but this year’s event will be shifting to the summer.
The Lake Erie Marine Trades Association said the traditional post-Labor Day event will be moved up three weeks to Aug. 21-24.
“Ironically, success has actually been an impetus for the big change,” Lake Erie Marine Trades Association president Ken Alvey said in a statement. “The immense popularity of Cedar Point’s HalloWeekends, coupled with the boat show’s traditional draw of thousands daily, has been snarling traffic and parking. Our No. 1 goal in moving the show away from the start of HalloWeekends is convenience for exhibitors and boaters coming to the show.”
Other major changes this year include: a new layout of the floating docks to allow for more than 40 demonstration boats, the most ever; a new show entrance and accessory display tents; and a new entertainment zone with a waterside cafe and daily live music. New daily fishing seminars and new free on-water training clinics are also planned.
The North American In-Water Boat Show will celebrate its 42nd anniversary. It premiered in 1973 with fewer than 100 boats and a few accessory displays.
Today it’s the largest in-water show on the Great Lakes. More than 400 boats will be on display.
