Skaneateles continues Celebrating their 100 years of boating History with their Antique and Classic Boat Show
July 25, 26 and 27
Activities throughout each day
Continue the month long celebration of 100 years of boating history in Skaneateles, by coming to the 30th Anniversary of the Skaneateles Antique and Classic Boat Show!
Sparkling clean water – gleaming classic mahogany boats – beautifully restored antique wooden boats – live music filling the air, a feeling of yesteryear….join us for the 30th Annual Skaneateles Antique and Classic Boat Show, July 25, 26, and 27, 2008.
Antique & Classic boats are on display both in the water and on land. Activities include: 3 concerts, boat parade (3 p.m. Saturday), kids activities on Saturday, shopping, huge raffle, and more. The Syracuse Model Boat Club will have boats on display, and the Skaneateles Historical Society will be hosting historic tours of the Village on Saturday and Sunday. Fun for the whole family.
This year, from 2 pm-6 pm on Friday, Navy Sea Scout Philip Gauthier will annouce the arrival of each exhibiting boat as they approach the dock area by blowing his bosun’s whistle.
Each summer during the last weekend in July, the Finger Lakes Chapter of the Antique and Classic Boat Society invites wooden boaters from across the United States and Canada to gather at the north end of Skaneateles Lake. Skaneateles Lake is the eastern most of the Finger Lakes of Upstate New York and provides an elegant backdrop for this annual antique wooden boat show. Skaneateles Lake has also been named the one of the cleanest lakes in the United States. Come enjoy the natural beauty of the lake and over 80 antique and classic boats, both on land and in the water.
Boat owners begin arriving in Skaneateles on Friday morning. Many boats are mahogany runabouts manufactured by Chris Craft, Hacker, and Garwood during the early 20th century. Other eye-catching boats in the show will include launches, sailboats, canoes, rowing craft, and race boats – many restored to their original condition. Antique inboard and outboard engines are also frequently displayed by collectors.
Enjoy live music on Friday night at 7:30 by the Skaneateles Community Band, Saturday from Noon to 3 pm (TBA), and Sunday Noon to 3 pm by the Soda Ash Six.
Also, on Saturday and Sunday the Skaneateles Historical Society will be giving guided tours of historic sites around Skaneateles. The tours will be one hour long and be leaving from the Gazebo at 11:30 am, and 1 pm. Cost is $10.00 per person and will benefit the Historical Society.
Half of the boats in the show are docked in the water along the beautiful Skaneateles Village Pier. Placards conveniently mounted on the pier’s railing provide visitors with information about each boat. The remaining boats are displayed in Clift Park along the water’s edge, next to the Gazebo and park benches, where visitors can touch and appreciate the boats first hand.
Judging of boats takes place on Saturday morning with exhibitors entering their craft in 20 different categories. Visitors to the show also have the opportunity to vote for highly coveted, “People’s Choice Award,” sponsored by our own Doug’s Fish Fry.
The Skaneateles Antique and Classic Boat Show is truly a family event. An activity designed just for the children takes place in the park between 11 am and 3 pm on Saturday. Kids and adults of all ages will enjoy looking at the antique model boats provided by the Syracuse Model Club. On Saturday afternoon at 3 pm the boats get underway for a parade along the pier and sea wall, and then head out into the lake for a tour of the north end.
The Finger Lakes Chapter is one of 41 chapters in the Antique and Classic Boat Society, an international organization with over 5000 members who are dedicated to the preservation of our wooden boat heritage. The Antique and Classic Boat Show once again has a commemorative poster. It is on sale at the Skaneateles Area Chamber of Commerce office at 22 Jordan Street, at Mid-Lakes Navigation at 11 Jordan Street and First National Gifts at 2 E. Genesee Street all in Skaneateles or in the general store on this web site. The cost of prior year posters is $8.00. The cost of the 2008 “30th anniversary” poster is $10.
The Skaneateles Antique and Classic Boat Show is organized by the Finger Lakes Chapter of the Antique and Classic Boat Society and the Skaneateles Area Chamber of Commerce. For more information about Skaneateles, lodging, dining, and our activities contact Susan Dove at the Skaneateles Area Chamber of Commerce at 315-685-0552. For exhibitor information contact Dick Sherwood boat show chairperson, at 585-734-1420 or Jack Miller at 607-227-9866. Reproductions of the photos seen here may be used by the media, and more photos are available upon request from the Chamber of Commerce.
