Get Ready to Regatta
Festivities begin today at Sailboard BeachWORTHINGTON — The tents have been raised, vehicles with trailers carrying sailboards have been spied around town and an assortment of food vendors have already set up shop on Sailboard Beach.
By: Beth Rickers, Worthington Daily Globe
- Regatta
WORTHINGTON — The tents have been raised, vehicles with trailers carrying sailboards have been spied around town and an assortment of food vendors have already set up shop on Sailboard Beach.
Worthington Windsurfing Regatta and Unvarnished Music Festival 2011 is ready to hoist anchor.
The festival will officially set sail at 5 p.m. today with an opening ceremony, including a flag raising in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Peace Corps and brief performance by Sheltered Reality. Following the National Anthem sung by Sigin Ojulu, the music will get into full swing with performances by The Stallions at 6 p.m.; and The Trishas at 8 p.m.
Most of the food vendors will begin serving at noon today and continue through Sunday afternoon.
As part of the Arts on the Shore component of the festival, vendors will market their wares from 3 to 8 p.m. today and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday. Among those scheduled to participate are: Creations by Sally (woodwork and crafts); The Gallery (jewelry); Marcy Gifts (jewelry and Peruvian imports); Lucy Iburg (seeds and fiber) Peggy’s Acrylic Paintings and Beads; Jewelry by James (handcrafted pendants); Gail’s Glass Creations; Pain B Gone (magnetic jewelry, Swarovski crystal jewelry); and Southwest Minnesota Dance Team (hair and painting).
As has become a Regatta tradition, the evening will wind down with the Shoreline Jam — small gatherings of musicians jamming up and down Sailboard Beach from 10:30 p.m. to midnight.
The weatherman has forecast a sunny day on Saturday, and it will begin with a skipper’s meeting for the windsurfers at 9:30 a.m. and music workshop by Sheltered Reality at 10 a.m.
Arts on the Shore will feature a kids art tent, with opportunities for children to make water paintings, decorate caps and paint a square that will become part of a larger mural. Professional artists Nick and Nicole Fisher will oversee the creation of the mural and also give a presentation on public art funded by Forecast Public Art at 11 a.m. Murals that were created in the same manner last year have been erected at Sailboard Beach and will be dedicated at approximately 11:45 a.m.
“They’re going to do a fish mural this year,” said Gail Holinka, WHS art instructor and adviser for the AOK (Arts-Optimist-Kiwanis) Club that supervises the children’s art activities. “Andy Johnson at the Worthington YMCA has agreed to put it up there, and we’ll be working out placement of that.”
Additional activities and games for youths, supported by the local Comprehensive Arts Planning Program, will be available from 2 to 3 p.m. Saturday afternoon, Holinka added.
Other activities scheduled in conjunction with the Regatta include: Surf’s Up 5-Mile Run, registration at 7 a.m., run at 8 a.m., Chautauqua Park; Regatta Bike Ride (15-, 30- and 50-mile routes), registration beginning at 8 a.m. and ride at 9 a.m., Centennial Park; and Regatta Walk for Y-Pals, registration at 8 a.m., walk at 9 a.m., Chautauqua Park.
The beer garden serving Hagen Distributing products will be open from 3 p.m. to midnight today and noon to midnight Saturday.
“We’re appreciative of all the sponsors who donate money and services for this event,” said 2011 Regatta Board President Scott Kraft. “Because of them, all the music is free to the public, and proceeds from the beer garden and T-shirt sales also help to support the festival.”
Following the noon performance by Sheltered reality, the stage schedule is: 1 p.m., Roe Family Singers; 3 p.m., Heatherlyn; 6 p.m., Atomic Flea; 8 p.m., Ride; and the final Shoreline Jam from 10:30 p.m. to midnight.
The Daily Globe Chair Auction will take place at 5 p.m. Saturday, with proceeds going to the Red Cross.
“I really encourage area residents to come down and enjoy the festivities and windsurfing and music,” said Kraft, who also encouraged people to be respectful of the space and pick up their trash so it doesn’t end up in the lake. “Be sure and greet the windsurfers. We want to make them feel at home, because that’s really what sets us apart from the other windsurfing events.”
For ongoing coverage of the Worthington Windsurfing Regatta and Unvarnished Music Festival, go to www.dglobe.com.
Tags: sailboard beach, regatta, news, celebration, worthington
More from around the web
RSS Feeds