Classy Classics: The 37th Annual Lake George Rendezvous of the Antique and Classic Boat Show
Boating and Lake George go together like lobster and butter, and every summer tourists and locals alike take the lake by storm in boats of all shapes and sizes. There are always plenty of brand new cabin cruisers anchored in the bays, party barges cruising the shoreline and ski-boats with screaming children in tow, but antique and classic boats are seldom seen. Some may find this general scarcity of historic, antique and classic boats a bit troubling, but there’s no need to worry for the 37th Annual Lake George Rendezvous of the Antique and Classic Boat Show is coming to Lake George on Saturday, August 28th.
The show will be held at the Lake George Village Public Docks, and will feature over 50 historic, antique and classic boats on display in the water and on land, including a variety of makes, models, and fabrications including fiberglass, steel, aluminum and wood. In previous years, the elegant sheen and vintage looks of wooden crafts been predominant, and this year’s event promises to bring much of the same. The selection of glossy wooden wonders will include a variety of leisure and sport crafts ranging from vintage early 20th century crafts to recent constructions from local builders like the Hacker Boat Co. in Silver Lake, Garwood Custom Boats in Brant Lake and Fish Brothers Boat Builders in Queensbury, NY.
The highlight of the show will undoubtedly be the fly-by boat parade in the afternoon, which will feature many of the classic and vintage crafts promenading along the docks, as an announcer broadcasts the name, make, year, owner and other interesting tid-bits of information about each craft. The boats will be competing for a handful of awards including best historic craft (a boat built before 1919), best Antique (a boat built between 1919 and 1942), best Classic (a boat built between 1943-1968), Production Contemporary (a production boat built between 1969-present), Custom Contemporary (a modified or one of a kind boat built between 1969-present) and Replica (a boat built in a non-production manner, usually a copy or duplicate of a boat previously built or manufactured). The exhibitors will decide the winners of the various categories of awards; no judges will be present and there will also be a “Peoples Choice” award that will be decided by the votes of the general public. The awards will be handed out following the show at an awards dinner to be held at The Georgian Resort.
While the Rendezvous will be focused on the boats, they’re not the only classics that will be on display. For the first time, the Adirondack Triumph Association, a group of British motorcar enthusiasts, will join the show. Between 10 and 20 vintage and classic British sports cars will be on display along Beach Road near the docks where the event is centered. The ATA, based in Schenectady, NY, is responsible for a variety of other popular British car and motorcycle shows including British Motorfest at the Saratoga Auto Museum.
The ATA’s display along Beach Road will be supplemented by the presence of Model T Fords courtesy of a local antique car club. The Model T display is expected to feature Don Buesing’s Black 1919 Model T Ford, along with handful of other rare vintage Ford’s.
The 37th Lake George Rendezvous is organized and sponsored by the Adirondack Chapter of the Antique and Classic Boat Society, formed in Lake George in 1975. The organization has since grown to include 55 chapters across the United States and Canada, which sponsor and organize boat shows year round.
The show will begin at 10am on the 28th and last until 4pm. Admission is free and open to the public, who are encouraged to vote for their favorite boat. For more information visit www.acbs-adc.org.
– Lee Sienka is an Assistant Editor of The Free George
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