2016-09-01 Bullhead City River Regatta
Bullhead City River Regatta
By Art Harrington - PDG
It seemed like a good idea. I had heard the City was planning to launch a new event — a River Regatta — and was looking for a community service organization that they could pay to serve a hot dog, chips and drink lunch to the registered Regatta participants. The idea was that it would be an annual event, with a different theme each year. Floaters would compete for awards with their creatively decorated and linked floating devices, which would be launched at Community Park, and float down the Colorado River several miles to Rotary Park, where they would disembark, be served a lunch, and catch a bus back to where they had parked their vehicles.
Bullhead City Rotary leaders had been complaining that their existing fundraisers were insufficient to produce the funds needed for their scholarships and other community service projects, so I encouraged them to grab this chance to add a promising additional fundraiser, besides providing a needed service to the city. I told them, “I believe this idea will take off.”
I doubt that any of us envisioned the success this event would achieve. That first year we had 2,500 registered floaters. This year, with a theme of “Pirates of the Colorado,” we had 30,158 registered floaters. Currently, the city provides the food and supplies, and they pay the Rotary club $22,000 to handle the lunch for the floaters and volunteer workers each year. Over the years, BHC Rotary has added the necessary stainless steel equipment to cook and keep hot such a large volume of hot dogs, and has developed systems for stuffing, wrapping and serving them. However, there is no way a Rotary club with less than 50 members could possible handle such an enormous project — without the help of the Mohave High School Interact Club they have sponsored for more than 30 years. This dynamic club, with more than 100 members, meets before school on Wednesday mornings, and is the largest and most respected club on campus. This year 75 Interactors from that club signed up to help stuff, wrap and serve the hot dog lunch to the hungry floaters.
The majority of the funds raised from this project each year are plowed back into the club’s huge Rotary Park, which is the pride of Bullhead City, adding additional soccer fields, lighting, rest rooms and other athletic facilities. The rest of the funds go toward the club’s scholarships and other community and international projects — with at least $1,000 usually being shared with the MHS Interact Club for their school, community any international projects. The Rotary club relies heavily on the MHS Interact Club to assist with most of its projects and fundraisers. Together the Rotary and Interact clubs sponsor the annual Burro BBQ, the community’s oldest (67 years) annual family event, now serving outstanding pit-barbecued beef and pork, instead of the original burro meat. The next Burro BBQ is scheduled for April 8. Also held at Rotary Park, this event draws 100 soccer teams for a regional 2-day tournament, and includes a classic car show and performances by school and community music and dance groups. The Interact club handles all of the children’s games and the annual coloring contest associated with that huge event. Prior to the Burro BBQ, a special 30+-page insert, known as The Burro Sheet, appears in the local newspaper, giving details about the upcoming event, information about Rotary and its programs and services, and includes advertising by local merchants who provide the necesssary financial support for the event. The Rotary and Interact clubs also jointly host at Rotary Park each year “Slaborama,” which is a regional KCC sanctioned barbeque competition. This year’s edition is scheduled for Jan. 20-21.
Kari Hoffman is the current President of the BHC Rotary Club, and Joseph Interior is the President of the MHS Interact Club.
I doubt that any of us envisioned the success this event would achieve. That first year we had 2,500 registered floaters. This year, with a theme of “Pirates of the Colorado,” we had 30,158 registered floaters. Currently, the city provides the food and supplies, and they pay the Rotary club $22,000 to handle the lunch for the floaters and volunteer workers each year. Over the years, BHC Rotary has added the necessary stainless steel equipment to cook and keep hot such a large volume of hot dogs, and has developed systems for stuffing, wrapping and serving them. However, there is no way a Rotary club with less than 50 members could possible handle such an enormous project — without the help of the Mohave High School Interact Club they have sponsored for more than 30 years. This dynamic club, with more than 100 members, meets before school on Wednesday mornings, and is the largest and most respected club on campus. This year 75 Interactors from that club signed up to help stuff, wrap and serve the hot dog lunch to the hungry floaters.
The majority of the funds raised from this project each year are plowed back into the club’s huge Rotary Park, which is the pride of Bullhead City, adding additional soccer fields, lighting, rest rooms and other athletic facilities. The rest of the funds go toward the club’s scholarships and other community and international projects — with at least $1,000 usually being shared with the MHS Interact Club for their school, community any international projects. The Rotary club relies heavily on the MHS Interact Club to assist with most of its projects and fundraisers. Together the Rotary and Interact clubs sponsor the annual Burro BBQ, the community’s oldest (67 years) annual family event, now serving outstanding pit-barbecued beef and pork, instead of the original burro meat. The next Burro BBQ is scheduled for April 8. Also held at Rotary Park, this event draws 100 soccer teams for a regional 2-day tournament, and includes a classic car show and performances by school and community music and dance groups. The Interact club handles all of the children’s games and the annual coloring contest associated with that huge event. Prior to the Burro BBQ, a special 30+-page insert, known as The Burro Sheet, appears in the local newspaper, giving details about the upcoming event, information about Rotary and its programs and services, and includes advertising by local merchants who provide the necesssary financial support for the event. The Rotary and Interact clubs also jointly host at Rotary Park each year “Slaborama,” which is a regional KCC sanctioned barbeque competition. This year’s edition is scheduled for Jan. 20-21.
Kari Hoffman is the current President of the BHC Rotary Club, and Joseph Interior is the President of the MHS Interact Club.
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