Inverness Thunder in the Hills Regatta

3/31/2007 - 4/1/2007
The Second Annual "Thunder in the Hills Regatta" Will take place on Big Lake Henderson in Inverness on March 31 and April 1st.

This United States Title Series Sanctioned Power Boat Racing event will again be organized by the 5 Rotary Clubs in Citrus County. The weekend of boat racing will kick off with "Music on the Square" beginning at 4:30 P.M. Friday March 30th. Everyone is invited to bring their lawn chairs and come down to the Historic Courthouse in the town square in Inverness for an evening of FREE live music ranging from Kathryn Selvester's Uptown Sound and among other things a tribute to the 40's as well as more contemporary songs, some of which she wrote and recorded recently in her first CD in Nashville. There will be line dancing from 6:30 to 7 P.M. and then Classic and Southern Rock performed by The Bullwinkle Band. A display of one of each of the 5 classes of Racing Boats along with their drivers will be held in the streets so the public can touch and feel the boats . The drivers will be happy to explain about the speed and other characteristics of each class of boat. They will also pose for pictures with those that desire to do so. Door prizes will be raffled off and a 50/50 drawing will be held. It all wraps up at 9:30 P.M. in order for preparations to be finalized down the street at Liberty Park for the boat races the following day at 12 noon.

On Saturday beginning at 9 A.M. in Liberty Park "The Sportsman Boat and RV Show" will open to the public with a variety of different boats and RV's on display by local dealers. At 10 A.M. the Food Court will open with Rotarians preparing and serving hot dogs, hamburgers, sausage with onions and peppers, pizza by the slice and grilled chicken sandwiches. They will also be selling beverages to include water and soft drinks. Other vendors will be selling Funnel Cakes, Ice Cream, Kettle Corn and a variety of other tasty treats. Both non-profit Community Organizations and some for-profit area businesses will have displays to hand out information on their various missions and business services. At noon all attention will turn to the Big Lake Henderson as the power boat racing begins. In between each race for about 20 to 30 minutes Cypress Garden type ski shows will be taking place on the water for the viewers enjoyment. A children's play area will be operated in Wallace-Brooks Park to keep the kids entertained with Rock Wall climbing and many other fun activities for all ages. Racing the first day will conclude at 5 P.M., but will be back in full swing on Sunday at 12 noon as the final events are held and the point standings are awarded to the winners at 5 P.M. These points count towards the total accumulated over the 7 annual races held throughout the country, which culminates with the highest point getter being crowned as the U.S. Title Series Champion for the 2007 season.
Submitted by D. Lobel