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Three Rivers Regatta to include car cruise, stunt skiiers

By William Loeffler, TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, July 11, 2002
Someday, the Pittsburgh Three Rivers Regatta really will encompass all three rivers, say its organizers.

Meanwhile, they're celebrating their 25th anniversary — and a healthy budget — with new attractions, such as extreme skateboarding, a classic car show, and Olympic-caliber stunt snow skiers.

Yes, snow-style skiing — down a four-story Plexiglas ramp on a cushion of water.

The regatta will run Aug. 8 through 11 around Point State Park and the North Shore. A Regatta Bridge Party will kick off the events at 7 p.m. Aug. 7 on the Roberto Clemente Bridge, featuring the Buzz Poets, Joe Grushecky & the Houserockers and Donnie Iris and the Cruisers.

The new activities, announced Wednesday, including an interactive children's area and sports played with oversize soccer balls and giant bowling pins, have been added to perennial crowd pleasers such as the Hot Air Balloon Rally, Anything That Floats Race, Zambelli fireworks, Water Ski Super Spectacular and power boat races.

Future regattas might include events in the Monongahela River, which currently is used only by the Gateway Clipper fleet to shuttle people back and forth, said Ida D'Errico, executive vice president of U.S. Events & Marketing, organizers of the nonprofit regatta.

"Really, the regatta has tremendous potential beyond the boundaries of the three rivers," she said. "With North Shore River Park, we have greater ways to promote the city."

She would also like to expand the regatta into the office complexes of Downtown Pittsburgh, in order to draw out-of-towners to discover shopping and restaurants in the Golden Triangle.

This year's regatta will feature concert appearances by Richard Marx, Kansas, Shawn Colvin and the Lettermen.

For the first time in the regatta's history, boaters will be permitted to dock along the Allegheny River during certain hours.

"We don't want people to say, 'I don't need to go to the regatta, it's the same as last year,'" D'Errico said. "You're going to have new attractions, new age demographics, new tourists."

New money also helps. In contrast to last year's funding shortfall precipitated by the loss of two major sponsors, this year's regatta has a budget of between $1.4 and $1.5 million, representing a $400,000 increase over last year. Sponsors such as Citizens Bank and Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield account for more than 80 percent of this year's budget, while grants, foundation and state monies make up roughly 20 percent. D'Errico said many subcontractors who provide portable toilets, tents, lighting and generators either donated services or charged a reduced rate.

D'Errico had no comment on whether a single name sponsor would come on board this year, lending it name to the regatta as Shop ’N Save did in previous years.

"On an overall basis, I think we're moving in the right direction," said the regatta's chairman, Ken McCrory. "The regatta is kind of a hand-to-mouth existence, not unlike a lot of not-for-profits. Each year, we start all over again. There are no reserves, no endowment, nothing to fall back on. What we need to do is move beyond that hand-to-mouth existence."

New this year:

  • AAA Centennial Regatta Classic Car Cruise: Noon to 7 p.m. Aug. 11 in a parking lot near North Shore Riverfront Park. Classic car enthusiasts and auto clubs can register by calling (412) 875-2153.

  • ASA Demo Team Exhibition: Featuring skating, skateboarding and freestyle BMX at the Regatta Stunt Skatepark at Point State Park.

  • Mountaineer Race Track & Gaming Resort Summer Snowfly Show: A troupe of professional stunt skiers will perform Olympic-style jumps on a four-story-high plexiglass ramp.

  • Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Sports Zone: Adults and children visiting Point State Park can kick a 4-foot soccer ball at giant bowling pins or scale a 24-foot rock climbing wall.

  • Alcosan Creation Station: An interactive children's exhibit at Point State park. Children can help create a giant vinyl mural that eventually will go on permanent display or make their own sailor caps.

  • For the first time, boaters will be permitted to moor overnight at the Point during the Three Rivers Regatta, from the time of the final Allegheny River closure each day (around 8 p.m.) until 6 a.m. the following day. During the fireworks event on Aug. 10, boaters will not be permitted to moor inside the designated Safety Zone area until the fireworks have concluded and traffic is permitted to resume. Boaters must clear the Safety Zone by 6 a.m.

    The largest inland regatta in the country, the Three Rivers Regatta draws more than 1.5 million people per year and pumps $70 million into the local economy, making it the region's largest single tourist attraction, according to regatta officials.


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