Raising the Regatta
The 20th annual Regatta at Lake Arthur continued the event's return to good form with lakefront good times, its organizers boast.
Holly Muchnok, the event director, said the regatta's second year competing with Pittsburgh's Three Rivers Regatta proved that the Butler County event stands on its own. Attendance numbers, once in the tens of thousands, hit a low of about 7,000 in 2012, but recent years' regattas have brought crowds as large as 20,000 once again, competition or not.
“When (Three Rivers organizers) moved their event to the first weekend of August, we had to make a decision to say we weren't going to let that impact us here,” Muchnok said. “What we're doing, we think, can hold its own. At that point, we had grown our confidence in it. The region is able to support two types of regattas: one that's big and fast and loud and expensive, and the other that's a wonderful, tranquil experience near the water.”
This year brought more growth, Muchnok said. Several fan-favorites, such as the DockDogs leaping dog competition, boat races and open-stage karaoke returned.
Mistakes were made. A Saturday morning 5K race received just a handful of registrants. Muchnok said they plan to adjust the time and better advertise the race next year.
And a public relations blunder caused minor confusion in the days before the event. Organizers draft press releases for several emergency scenarios, so that word can be spread quickly in the case of a problem. One such release saying that fireworks had been canceled due to poor weather made its way to Facebook, where it was quickly taken down and replaced with an explanation.
The morning the regatta started brought the final problem, but it was a happy one: Internet traffic overwhelmed the event's website, crashing it for some time.
“We're going to claim it,” Muchnok said. “We broke the Internet. It wasn't Kim Kardashian, it was the regatta's 20th year.”
However, none of those missteps really impacted the actual event, Muchnok said. Organizers roughly doubled marketing efforts this year in the 10 counties surrounding and including Butler County, and they believe they'll hit goals on attendance. Laser car counters will give them a means to make a rough headcount for the weekend.
People certainly traveled for the event. Jonathan Coady brought his dog Heidi from Delaware to compete in DockDogs. The duo wore matching Superman outfits.“We've been doing this for about three years, but this is our first time at this event,” Coady said.That's the sort of visitor the organizers hope for, Muchnok explained.“Not only do we want them to come to the event and celebrate the park, we want them to get engaged with the community,” Muchnok said. “Stay at a hotel, support local restaurants when they're done here.”Jack Cohen, president of the county's tourism and convention bureau, agreed. Cohen worked a table where visitors could sign up for rides on the Moraine StatePark tour boat, the Nautical Nature. They sold out of tickets for hourly tours on Saturday. The money from those rides goes to the Moraine Preservation Fund and is specifically earmarked to help buy a replacement vessel, this time a double-decker.About such 100 organizations were involved in this year's regatta, Muchnok said, and at least 100 volunteers were on the ground putting it on. There were 42 vendors, including 18 food vendors.The event serves purposes beyond bringing people to the park: it shows folks how to use it.
Staff from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' Bureau of State Parks brought 36 boats, including various types of kayaks, for free use. Environmental Education Specialist Mike Shaffer said Saturday that they were on track to put 300 people in the water over the weekend.“We want to introduce people to paddling sports like kayaking and canoeing,” Shaffer said. “This is a good place to try it out.”Two sailing clubs associated with the park also brought various sailboats to put in the water.Children were routed to the lake attractions through a large summer school tent. Muchnok said the tent has facilitated about 1,000 kids' weekends every year for the last five regattas.But for plenty of attendees, the event was less about all there was to do and more about that relaxed atmosphere Muchnok mentioned.Take Dan Bauer of Lyndora, for instance. He pulled into the park Saturday afternoon in his cream-colored, 1965 Volkswagen van. He parked in the Car Cruise, a small car show area.“I'm usually working in my garage, not at car shows,” Bauer said. “But this one has a lake and live bands playing music, so here I am.”
