After 20 Years, Boat Racing Returns to Kittanning

by David Croyle

The thrill of speedboat racing returns to Kittanning next weekend after a 20-year hiatus.

Re-branded as “Riverbration,” the event will begin Friday evening, August 19, and conclude on Sunday night, August 21.

Three Rivers Outboard Racing Association Jeff Williams, serving as this year’s race director, said the memory of the boat races is not extinct.

“There are people who remember enjoying races from before. We didn’t have the vendors then that we have now. People would come with their lawn chairs, their children, and a picnic basket - especially on Sunday afternoons - they would sit in the park and watch racing all afternoon. It was entertainment for the family. Bringing that back is a good thing.”

The event was formerly sponsored by the Armstrong County Chamber of Commerce, which established the races in 1980. In 1992, the sponsor changed to the Kittanning Rotary Club with Tom Bradigan serving as the race chairman.

In 1993, a group was formally established known as the Armstrong County Boat Race and Regatta Committee. Donations of $100 was solicited to become a sponsor of the races, spearheaded by Malcolm Hileman of Hileman Boat Service.

By 1995, the Armstrong County Tourist Bureau served as the sponsor for what was advertised as the 14th annual Regatta. Hileman served as chairman that year. He called the racing in Kittanning “grassroots” because most of the participants were hobbyists.

The next few years saw many changes as Kittanning Riverfront Park was transformed by a $4.3 million grant coordinated by the late Congressman John Murtha. In the middle of those changes, boat racing disappeared from the landscape of the Allegheny River in Kittanning.

Several years ago, after contemplating the success of the Waves of Thunder motorcycle show, the committee at Kittanning Hose Company #1, sponsor of the show, thought it might be a good idea to bring back the boat races. Many discussions where held with Williams, but Williams said there were scheduling difficulties.

“The trick was getting it to work in the racing calendar so we didn’t have date conflicts. We ran into that earlier. We just couldn’t get the racing calendar to dovetail with Hose Company #1’s motorcycle event. So we found this open date and we hopped on it and we’ve worked with it ever since.”

Assistant Fire Chief and Fire Department Secretary Kevin Kline described the initial concept of adding boat races to the motorcycle show.

“Hose Company #1 has the Waves of Thunder event in June and we’ve talked off and on to Jeff Williams about pulling the boat racing into that time frame. Unfortunately it wasn’t calendar-wise or river-wise for the conditions of the water in early June, so it kind of went to bed for another couple of years. One Friday evening at a Movie in the Park as I was doing sound for the movie, I pulled (Alle-Kiski Strong Chamber of Commerce Executive Director) Lynda (Pozzuto) aside and I said, ‘What do you think about doing the boat races again?’ It was probably a couple of hours and the Chamber thought it was a great idea. So we talked to Jeff again and this was about ten months of steady monthly meetings with the three organizations getting together in small groups from each association.”

Williams said he is hopeful the boat races will continue into the future on the third weekend of August every year.

“Once you establish a race and it goes fairly well, it’s like the analogy of kicking a snowball downhill. Once it gets going, it just keeps going and more people hear about it and you get more people to show up.”

Pozzuto agreed with Williams that the entire process has the potential of once again snowballing into a big event.

“it really was just like magic. We really do work well together. It started off with just the races. It did take a lot of hours, a lot of man power, and a lot of meetings once a month. We started off with just being excited to have the races and that was it. Then the next thing you know, let’s try to get a couple of vendors. It kept growing every meeting. Something else was added to it. And now we have this huge entertainment schedule. Even now, we are still coming up with new ideas.”

Williams said the legacy was here to build on from 30 years ago, so it is a matter of reactivating and getting the new blood interested to make the event happen.

” We have had a generational shift. I’m one of the old guard, so a lot of the new guard heard about it, and are interested to see what it is about. Last week I was at the Nationals and I talked to a lot of folks. They have an interest in coming here. They have heard about it.

“I raced from 1980 until 1996. It was here every year. That was the year before we had the park renovation. We just couldn’t put the pieces back together after that fact. This season, I started talking to various groups because I travel enough that I can talk to various racers and organizations to try to drum up some support. This first year, I am not sure of the volume of people or where they are coming from. From those I have talked to, it will be people from Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and some Virginia and Maryland. I know fairly well that they will be here. The volume of them? I have no clue. In order to start the event, we decided that we would run all classes and see what shows up. Then we will pattern from there for the first year. Then we will move forward. There is a lot of excitement.”

Kline said that one of the attractions will be an Antique Boat Parade.

“If you happen to look across the river at Applewold, you will see some Mahogany Chris Crafts. One of the local firemen owns a couple of those boats and is putting together the antique boat parade. Along with his boats, there will be other boats coming in to represent the antiques.”

Williams said the antique boats play a major role in the activities.

“We’ve been boat racing before there was car racing. The (boat racing) organization goes back into the 1900’s (1904-1906). There have been Mahogany race boats since (that time). The boats you will look at are probably 1940’s-50’s vintage and they are gorgeous.”

Kline also said there is one more race that will draw participation from many local recreational boaters.

“We have thrown together a ‘Winner Takes All’ kayak race. As soon as racing is done on Sunday evening, (approximately 6PM), people can bring their single-seat kayak. There is an admission charge so the winner can “take all”. It’s open to all ages. We are going to start under the bridge, race to the boat launch, and back to under the bridge.”

While the committee has been busy with this year’s event, Pozzuto said their eye is on the future.

“We are already talking about next year. And we already have a list of things that will make it bigger, more welcoming, and fun for everyone. We haven’t finished this year yet and we already have next year in the works. It’s been a lot of fun and a lot of excitement. We are just thrilled to be doing it.”

Williams encouraged spectators to bring lawn chairs and sunglasses. Vendors will have food for sale, but there is no admission charge to watch the race.

Pozzuto said the group has a social media page on FaceBook. Search for “Riverbration.”

The race is sanctioned by the American Power Boat Association.

 

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