Mississippi Drops 4' ft in one week!

Well what more can I say. Today my wife and I went out on the pontoon after a wild week following the show. Our middle daughter Melody graduated from high school yesterday and last week was spent tying up loose ends and getting back into the swing of things at work. So with very little spare time today was the first day to try to get a wrap up to the event posted.

So how did things go this year? We are thankful for the City of Muscatine and the volunteers digging in and helping to clean the park after the 4th highest flood in history. True the Mississippi could have been down so we could have had race boats run and everybody would have been happy, but that's the way it is.

This week the Mississippi dropped 4 ft in a week. What can I say, it is kind of like throwing salt in the wounds. Just being honest. The walkways to all of the courtesy docks are open, and the Mississippi is really clean as we were out today.

In closing I am still waiting for pictures. If you go to www.bigfinboats.com there are some great pictures. If anybody has some pictures they could send me on a DVD send them to

Dave Moritz
225 Iowa Ave
Muscatine, Ia 52761

I want to take a minute to tell all of you, thank you for attending an event in question after Mother Nature didn't cooperate. I realize that the fun in attending a boat show is to be on the water. For the boat racers that came just to support the event, thank you.

We are taking a look at what to do next year so we will keep you in the loop. My wife and I look forward to seeing many of you at your events this summer. We will not be able to attend everybody's shows but look forward to getting to some of them.

Thank you again!

Dave and Diane Moritz and family

Along with the Great Volunteers and City of Muscatine!

Well the only way to show you the park is by taking pictures of the park from today and showing them to you. This was taken about 3 hours ago and the Mississippi is still going down with a great forecast for the weekend! We are BACK!

Here is the harbor with 128 slips ready to go.

This is the view from the Riverview Center where we will have the Hog Roast.

This is just one the green spaces of the park.

New 4 Wide boat ramps.

One of the new paving areas ready for boats.

Swap Meet area is about 5 acres.

Riverview Center where the Hog Roast and Registration will be held.

As you can see the park is looking good and we are really getting fired up for a great event!

I thank you so much for all of your patience. The phone has not stopped ringing for the last 2 weeks and I have had only a few people who have decided to stay home. We guarantee you we will make you feel at home and appreciate your attendance! Everything has resolved and the water is floating clear. We are IN the park as planned with all events on tracks other then the APBA race boats on the river with sanctioned testing. I am thrilled that many of the racing boats like Phil Mitchell, Pete Nydahl, Fred Shearer, Kenny Kitson, to name a few, said they are still coming to support the event and will visit with the crowds and other boaters. They want to see the Musco lighting of the Mississippi for future events and they know our commitment to this event and we cannot control Mother Nature.

We will have race boats on the Mississippi with our Cardboard Boat Regatta and a new event for everyone called the "Paddle Wheel Showdown!" Anyone over 16 years old can participate (including boat show participants). Our Mayor and Council Members are also participating. Our Farm and Fleet Manager offered us a price we couldn't refuse for a couple of paddle boat racers. John, Troy, and Ryan at Sign Pro said let's make them unique so we now have "Speed Racer" and "Racer X, 007). Notice the hood ornaments!

Today people were out on the Mississippi with their boats and started to place some in the harbor. It is great to get back to normal here!

So what do I need to know? Well on Friday the bus will be picking up participants from the motels and bring you to the Riverview Center for the Hog Roast on Friday afternoon and evening. The bus will start at 3:30 and will continue to make loops to and from the park for you to leave the driving to us. The park will be closed to the public so we can get the Musco lighting units set up along with our dry run of the weekend for all of our volunteers. If you do come to town and want to see the park come in on Cedar Street off of 2nd Street (See Map Lodging page on website www.muscatineboatshow.com). We think we have given you about every map you may need to make your travels around Muscatine easy along with the Dining Guide for trying some of the local's favorite establishments. When coming into the park Friday turn left into the park and there is a third lane along the green space to park. Just ask somebody in the park where I am and they will know. We will also have some of the ladies setting up registration and wearable's at the Riverview Center so you can feel free to get your goodies and wristbands etc. Every volunteer will know the routine so just ask for help and they will get you where you need to go with help to load unload boats, set up etc etc.

The Muscatine Police Department will also be making extra rounds in the park for Friday and Saturday evening and the harbor gate locks at night so the boats are secure. I would still recommend that you do not leave things out that may walk off and place your covers on your boats as normal. We will be in the park 6:00 am Saturday morning to start placing boats in the harbor and park along with the car show cars. Race boats and Car Show Cars please come in the Iowa Ave entrance to the park and Show Boats please come in the Cedar Street entrance. ALL registrations will be held in the Riverview Center on the second floor.

The Chris Craft Boat Club and Century Boat Club will be located at the Pearl City Station for you to visit. The Speedliner Crew will be on board in one of the tents along with some famous Speedliner boats. There will also be a few copies for sale at cost of the various magazines that have had coverage of the 2007 Muscatine event and bags for you to carry your goods. For your information Classic Yacht Magazine and others have already contacted us to cover this year's event. There will be photographers throughout the park all day so get your boats shined up and classic outboard and inboard motor displays shined up. You just may be in one of these magazines.

This will be our last News Update before the event.

GET FIRED UP! For your support and patience we promise you a Great Time!

From the City of Muscatine, the Community of Muscatine, and all of our great volunteers . . . thank you!

More to follow . . .
Dave and Diane Moritz

Well, I had to make a hard call this morning. The 2.5 inches of rain just pulled the plug on the racing boats on the river. I wanted to make sure the water levels were stable and at this time the Mississippi is at 17.4'. It is scheduled to crest at 18.4' on Wed evening and then start to go down. The good thing is that Lock and Dam 14 and 15 just upstream will start to put their rollers down so it will keep debris from floating down the Mississippi. I was just on the phone with Lock and Dam 16 here in Muscatine, that is upstream from the site about a mile, and they said the Mississippi is running pretty clean since most of anything loose had went downstream from the first higher water. I was in the park today and would have to agree.

The bad news is that even though the river is cleaning up we will not be able to run the racing boats because we cannot put the racing boat docks in and still have room for the cranes. As stated earlier in a past News Update, the Mississippi needed to be at 16' to be able to place the race boat docks. This is just disheartening. There are some great racing boats that were registered to make some runs on the Mississippi. They are still invited to come and display. Some of the racing boats have told me they are coming hell or high water even to just talk to people and kick back and have a good time. That is truly appreciated for the kids and the crowds that we have for the event.

The show boat docks are in place in the harbor and by Saturday the river is suppose to be back at 17'. This means that since we will not be able to hold the racing boat sessions on the water the show boats can go out and boat all they want. There are Corp Maps of the Mississippi on the website for you to see where the channel is. We will have dock side help and harbor help for everyone. There are over 120 slips available.

If you want to just be a part of the static display we have spaces for well over 300 boats in newly paved park areas and in grass space. This year, we will also have a swap meet with many people who have expressed interest and will have anything from soup to nuts for boats and history. Look at the website www.muscatineboatshow.com at the Maps Lodging page and you will see the size of the park from the aerial view. It is huge, and the city today has been mowing and getting it ready for this weekend.

Since the racing boats will not be able to run the Mississippi, we have purchased a couple of paddle boats and will have paddle boat races for anybody 16 years or older in 3 heats to add to the 2 heats of cardboard boat regatta and the other things going on during the event.

Since the event has had to be modified slightly, we are going to do something for the boaters that are participating. On Saturday, we will have wristbands for the participants that will allow them to have breakfast and late lunch on us with a full buffet as long as you have your wristbands on. Hy-Vee will be catering our breakfast and Guy and A Grill will have the late lunch.

We feel really bad about the situation this year, but we will be in the park and that is great with many people saying they are coming no matter what. We can't thank you enough. We are trying to get it as close as possible to the original plans. It is just that we cannot have the water quite low enough for getting the race boat docks in place. The race boat docks are temporary docks we place just for this event and remove after the event is completed.

With that, I felt it was necessary to let you know where we are at. I will also be sending out a check list e-mail News Update this Wed. of what to make sure you pack and get while you are here. We will do all we can to show you a great time as always and for the show boats it will be a show as normally planned. Race boats who still want to come you would be received with open arms. After all this is a boaters event and we are all the same with a love of our boats and the water .

More to follow . . .
Dave

A week ago Friday we were sitting at 21.59' and the water was over the road. This morning we were at were down to 16.87'. Last night we had rain. Not 0.25 inches but 2.5 inches. Today we are watching the Mississippi go back up slowly. How long and to what level it is too early to say. The following are pictures of the park this morning.

We are still hoping the park will be useable but unsure as to the water levels. We will have to find out what the river settles out to and how fast it will go down.

There will be another News Update this Tuesday with more details as I realize many of you are starting your travels on Wednesday or Thursday. The sun is back out now and it is suppose to be clear again. These measurements of rain by the inches instead of fractions of the inch are hard to know exactly what to say. I can say it but it would be in exclamation marks!!!

I also will need to know numbers to let vendors and people know what to expect so this is a strain on everybody. What did that old commercial used to say, "You Can't Fool Mother Nature!"

More to follow . . .
Dave

"Well are we on or not? Yes, we are on !!!"

Well, we have been working really hard to do all we can to make this year a year to remember for you at the "That Was Then, This Is Now" Muscatine Boat Show and Racing Boat Exhibition. And with Mother Natures help, it will be. We have been working hard since last fall and so has Mother Nature. As everybody knows this winter has been one of the wettest on record, and Mother Nature just wants to continue to see how long it can keep soaking us and trying to break our spirit!

Every spring the Mississippi has high water conditions after the snow melt, the water crest, and then it starts to go down. This is nothing new when you live here. This year is just different in that the high water has been higher then normal and lasted longer then normal. The Mississippi has officially crested and is going down. The river usually drops at .5 to .7 ft. / day so with the show being 15 days out, it is still feasible to use the park and everything will work fine, weather permitting?

Realistically, I want to be open and honest with all of you. As a classic boat owner, I would want to be kept up to date on an event I am attending or anything that may modify any part of it. If we do continue to receive rain, it depends on where and how much rain is received if it will affect the Mississippi's water levels. All of the tributaries into the Mississippi are also going down, so it looks good. But if the rains are heavy, it could mean the Mississippi will not recede fast enough, and the park may continue to be under water. At this time everything looks good, but I just want you to know where we are at and what may happen.

So what are we going to do? By next weekend, we will be able to forecast the water levels in the park for the event. We had a volunteer meeting on Thursday, and a meeting yesterday with all City of Muscatine Search and Rescue, DNR, and Sherriff's Department. Everybody has stated that they will volunteer all resources to have the event in the park even if it takes extra manpower. This event has become Muscatine's signature event, and we will continue to strive to make it the best we can for all of you, the boaters. The community has been working hard to make the park a place where you will be blown away with all of the improvements.

Everybody kept coming up to me after the meeting saying, " I will do whatever I can, just let me know what you need or want". I told the volunteers I had approached "Farm and Fleet" about their huge new parking lot. Their management team and Darren, the store manager, said if the park is under water, they will provide us the majority of their parking lot. This parking lot is large enough for parking 250 boats where he has designated, along with the well manicured 5 acres of green space all around the parking lot for vendor space and swap meet area. We have many swap meet vendors this year. This can still be a great show with the nation's top boats, if you still want to make this a great show.

So here is my question to you, the participants. I realize there are many ways to choose to spend your hard earned dollars. This year, at this time, the event is in the park and everything will be as planned. We WILL do all we can to still hold it in the park. Plan B will be the Farm and Fleet area that is right on Hwy 61 across from Holiday Inn, and the other motels. We can fit everyone easily in the area. We will also offer bus service from the mall parking lot for people coming to see all of the boats. The cost is still FREE and the registrations keep coming in. If you help us out this year and let us know you will be coming, this will still be one of the nation's largest events. The bands will still be playing along with the Hog Roast, etc. Next year we will keep the cost the same if you help us out this year!

If we cannot run the Mississippi, I realize many of the racing boats may not attend, but they are still invited to come as part of the show. Please let me know ASAP no matter if you are a show boat or race boat, vendor etc. if you will still be coming. E-mail me at moritzdavid@stanleygroup.com. I will let everybody know the poll results next weekend along with the water levels.

A reminder to check out the Boat Gallery on the website at www.muscatineboatshow.com since we continue to add boats as they enter and send in information. Please, if you have entered and not sent pictures and a little about you boat, please do so as soon as possible so we can enter them into the gallery.

Remember, get your entries in now. Register on line at the website or send entries to:

Dave Moritz
225 Iowa Ave.
Muscatine, IA 52761

Also get you rooms reserved from the website www.muscatineboatshow.com for reduced rates. Go to the Maps Lodging Page and click. Check out the other pages on the website for most other info you may have questions on. If there is anything else you need make sure you contact us.

More to follow . . .
Dave

Today we came back to find that we have another entry for the event. How would you feel if you read the name of the registration and it was Ken Warby! Well mark your calendars to not miss this year's event. Ken Warby is coming to Muscatine to be a part of the 2008 "That Was Then, This Is Now" Boat Show and Racing Boat Exhibition. For those of you who do not know Ken Warby, he hales from Australia and is the World's Fastest Man on Water. In 1978 in his "Spirit of Australia" jet powered monster he blistered the waters of Blowering Reservoir in New South Wales, Australia at 317.6 mph. The record still stands and Ken is looking at attempting to break his record again with his new jet powered craft named "Aussie Spirit" powered by a Westinghouse J-34 engine modified to produce 9,000hp in Australia when the timing is right.

Ken is coming to Muscatine as an active member of the APBA Vintage tour with his 1976 Everingham (Australia) 19.5' Flat Bottom powered by a 605 cub.in. Chevy with 14/71 Supercharger rated at 1,000hp. It may be a little slower then either of the "Spirit" world speed record boats? ( How many people with a 1,000hp boat can say it is their . . . "slower" . . .boat !) Is that neat or what! I would also like to thank Kevin Klosterman from Ohio who is bringing his race boat to Muscatine for talking to Ken about coming along. This is just another of the reasons that we will continue to work hard to do all we can to make this event your event and to make you feel at home! This event is all about the participants having a great time. Check out Ken's website at www.kenwarby.com and make sure you also bring the kid's to meet this true legend of the boat racing world!

Things are getting into place as this past weekend the final wiring was installed for the new sound system, and the amps, mixer, and speakers arrived Monday. Also Greg Ossian from Pacific Visions came and donated his time and equipment use to cut in all of the speaker cable in the grass area of the park. In all of the News Updates have you noticed the community support from Corporations and Businesses with services and financial support provided for the park and this event. I don't say this to brag but it is humbling to me. I mean this so sincerely, there is no place like Muscatine to hold an event like this. To all of these people who know who you are . . . Thank you!

Now we are watching the Mississippi slowly recede and waiting to clean up the park after the spring flooding that normally takes place.

This week we also watched as the final light fixtures were placed on the Becky Bridge over the wateri. The City of Muscatine and donations from the community have allowed us to design a LED lighting system that will be the first of it's kind in the world. The lighting will light the downstream side of the bridge like a façade lighting. The neat thing is it is all LED and can change colors , the light can follow itself across the face of the bridge and about anything imaginable. Last night Nelson Electric and Jim Berns from MUSCO did the final aiming of the fixtures and turned the lights on. The lighting will not be turned on for a couple of weeks officially but we are hoping it will be on for the boat show.

This week the Button Factory here on the water front sent me an e-mail and they are also going to be bringing a band for everyone to enjoy. For those of you who love the blues they are bringing in Hal Reed Band & Jack Wessels playing Blues & Beyond. Now we have a choice of oldies rock and roll at the Mississippi Brew and Blues at the Button Factory. Go to either or both as the Blues band starts at 7:00 and the oldies rock starts about 9:00.

There will be food vendors on the riverfront this year in the park, and great restaurants right across from the park will also be having event specials with many great deals so check all of them out. If you enjoy an adult beverage they are also available right across the street from the park at the Button Factory, Mississippi Brew, or the Steamboat Landing in the Hotel.

Some of the vendors on the waterfront this year will be The Pizza Ranch, A Guy and his Grill, The Brew, The Onion Shop, Old Fashioned Ice Cream Cart, and Nuts or us! The Mississippi Brew, Button Factory, Claim Shell Diner, and others will also have event specials if you want to sit down and take a load off. Great people run them all as we kept with local establishments.

We would also like to thank the River City All-Stars Cheerleading team who will be around the park with boxes for anybody wanting to leave a donation to help the event to continue from year to year. We want to keep this event free so any form of donations are appreciated and are tax deductable if made out to the Muscatine Boat Show Committee.

Well it is late and time to pray to the rain gods to shut it off both for area farmers and the boat show. This year's event has so many neat boats, clubs, organizations, and people coming that you can't help but have a great time. There are also many people bringing things to the swap meet area this year with everything related to boats, racing and antiques and classics.

A reminder to check out the Boat Gallery on the website at www.muscatineboatshow.com since we continue to add boats as they enter and send in information. Please if you have entered and not sent pictures and a little about you boat please do so as soon as possible so we can enter them into the gallery.

Remember, get your entries in now. Register on line at the website or send entries to:

Dave Moritz
225 Iowa Ave.
Muscatine, IA 52761

Also get you rooms reserved from the website www.muscatineboatshow.com for reduced rates. Go to the Maps Lodging Page and click. Check out the other pages on the website for most other info you may have questions on. If there is anything else you need make sure you contact us.

More to follow . . .
Dave

Well we are less then a month out from the event. This week it was pretty nice out so we went to the top of the Muscatine Hotel and took a couple of pictures to show you the park and it's repaving, along with the installation of the new fence and lighting taking place.

In the above picture you can see the crews installing the new light poles along the front of the park along with the new iron fence and brick columns. This work should be done by May 1st. Also notice the new concrete approaches. The City has done a great job making this one of the nicest parks on the river. The area shown is also a part of the race boat pit area.

This view is upstream and the second view is down stream. In the upstream picture you can see the harbor with 120 slips for runabouts and I believe 30 or 40 for the larger boats. The downstream picture shows Pearl City Station and another part of the race boat pit area.

This picture is from the Riverview Center looking downstream toward Pearl City Station.

This picture is the Riverview Center where the registration for boat show participants will take place. On the second floor will be a place for boat show participants and racers to relax and enjoy the view with your arms bands you will be issued for the event.

This view is from the deck on the Riverview Center looking downstream toward the Pearl City Station. This gives you a feel for the size of the park for those who have not been here before.

Also today in the Muscatine Journal they ran a couple of stories for the boat show. They are nice articles to help make people aware of the event. They cover some of last year's events, events for this year, and the improvements made to the park for this year.

Tomorrow we will be in the park finishing the conduit runs underground for the new sound system so things are coming into place.

A reminder to check out the Boat Gallery on the website at www.muscatineboatshow.com since we continue to add boats as they enter and send in information. Please if you have entered and not sent pictures and a little about you boat please do so as soon as possible so we can enter them into the gallery.

Remember, get your entries in now. Register on line at the website or send entries to:

Dave Moritz
225 Iowa Ave.
Muscatine, IA 52761

Also get you rooms reserved from the website www.muscatineboatshow.com for reduced rates. Check out the other pages on the website for most other info you may have questions on. If there is anything else you need make sure you contact us.

More to follow . . .
Dave

Well the days are getting warmer and we are one month out from the event tomorrow! We were up to 75 degrees today. The city is installing new lights called the "String of Pearls" along the front of the park this week and this weekend we will be installing the rest of the cabling for the sound system.

As the time gets closer to the event I want you to know something about us. We thank you so much for supporting this event, whether it is with your participation, interested enthusiast, or one of the army of volunteers we have. This event is only possible with each and every one of you and we will always realize that. We will continue to work hard to make this event grow from year to year. As we did last year, this year we want each of you to fill out a questionnaire on what you liked, and what you didn't like. We realize that there are many events you may choose to go to each year, and we appreciate you choosing Muscatine.

Let me tell you what makes organizing this event so much fun! Yesterday I received this package in the mail from Jim Johnson from Ohio. Jim sent me a care package that included pictures of their boat racing family since the early days. Jim also sent me a copy of the TM5-278 "Outboard Motors" War Department Manual from the War Department dated June 30, 1944. Is that cool or what! Jim received the book for his birthday . . . .December 1944! He gave a copy of it to me! The manual shows soldiers moving outboard motors, how to carry them, service them, and everything. The Johnson's are my advertising corp in Ohio and enjoy the Muscatine event. Jim and his brothers Duke, Walt, and their Dad all meet here for a family reunion! Now that is what this event is about. Not that I get free things ( Jim, I do love the items!) but it is a family event. Be it your extended boat family or blood relatives!

Check out the Boat Gallery on the website at www.muscatineboatshow.com since we continue to add boats as they enter and send in information. If you have entered and not sent pictures and a little about you boat please do so as soon as possible so we can enter them into the gallery.

This year we are proud to have in our attendance The Chris Craft Antique Boat Club and the Century Boat Club. They are both sponsors of the event and encourage you to bring your Chris Craft and Century Boats.

We will also have in attendance Steve and Joan Schomberg from Speedliner Boat Company. Steve is the son of Cliff Schomberg and they have records of every Speedliner Boat ever made. They will also be bringing an antique wood racing Hydro built by Cliff & Steve built in the 70's, and 510 Corsair sold on Jan. 31, 1950, plus a 1/2 scale model 1956 Contessa.

I keep having businesses ask if there would be a boat that could park in front of their businesses, so if you are here early Friday and want to be on display at a business let me know.

Remember, get your entries in now. Register on line at the website or send entries to:

Dave Moritz
225 Iowa Ave.
Muscatine, IA 52761

We are going to do a collectors program for people to pick up at the show with the boats who have pre-registered. We will need pictures of your boat if you want them in the program with a write up. We will not be placing addresses in the program of the owners.

Also get you rooms reserved from the website www.muscatineboatshow.com for reduced rates. Check out the other pages on the website for most other info you may have questions on. If there is anything else you need make sure you contact us.

More to follow . . . Dave

Wow! Today was 63 degrees and our Century boat project was saying, " Hey! Can you Pleeease put me back together!"

	This week also showed me more of the communitie's support for this event.
With funding grants from the City of Muscatine and The Community Foundation of Greater Muscatine we placed an order for 30 speakers, amplifiers, mixers, and microphones, and have started to get together the 50s' and 60s' music for the event to pump music throughout the park.

The next couple of weekends Muscatine Electric ( ESCO Electric) will be donating their time and materials to install the system. Tom Hammond and crew do many community minded projects and I want to give them recognition in their efforts to help many people in the area!

Well the 2008 "That Was Then, This Is Now" Event T-Shirt design has been completed. The design features a boat from every type seen at the event. We have Ron Walbring's beautiful Speedliner with a Merc KG9 outboard, Mike Tucker with "Miss Crazy Thing" Vintage Hydroplane, Steve and Jane Manke's Falls Flyer for a fiberglass classic, Perry and Sharon Wendel's aluminum classic with Johnson Hot Rod outboard, Marty Wolfe and Mike Movinski with their Grand National Hydroplanes, Midnight Serenade wood canoe, and Custom Cars from the car show. As we did this year with pictures from last year's show, next year we will do the same and feature a mix of boats from this year's show.

We are also going to be giving away shirts during the event this year and here are the some of the collector shirts that we have developed with Bob's Crane Service.

Also since it is the 100th Anniversary of the Muscatine Power Boat Club we will also be giving away some of their 100th Anniversary T-Shirts at the Hog Roast and during the event.

In the next couple of days we will be sending out a mailing to those we have in our database who do not have e-mail. We are also going to finish putting in entries into the website "Boat Gallery" that we have at this time. Remember, get your entries in now. We are going to do a collectors program for people to pick up at the show with the boats who have pre-registered. We will need pictures of your boat if you want them in the program with a write up. We will not be placing addresses in the program of the owners. Also get you rooms reserved from the website www.muscatineboatshow.com for reduced rates. Check out the other pages on the website for most other info you may have questions on. If there is anything else you need make sure you contact us.

More to follow . . . Dave

Ok, now things are starting to get fun! The weather is finally breaking, the snow up north is pretty well gone, and the Mississippi is starting to look pretty good. I have talked to various people in Muscatine and the excitement level is starting to build. Here are a few more things that people want to do to make your weekend in Muscatine even more enjoyable.

The Mississippi Brew has lined up The Tail Fins, a 50s' and 60s' band, for Friday evening after the Power Boat Clubs Hog Roast. The Brew is right across from the riverside park and has an outdoor area the bands play in with picnic tables.

Since we have extended the event to 3 days the Brew have added a second band, Blind Alley, a 70s' and 80s' band for Saturday evening.

Both bands have websites if you want to check them out. The Brew will also be offering special drinks named after boating terms for the weekend. They are also one of the food vendors in the park, and were last year's Cardboard Board Regatta winner. They really do all they can to make this event special.

Speaking of the Cardboard Boat Regatta this year we have a sponsor for the event that has placed $$$ to win for each class. This event we encourage any youth leaders, friends, and co-workers to get together and build a cardboard boat. This is one of the reasons we do what we do with this event. It makes it all worth it for everyone.

Man, that is really neat and we hope you will make a point of enjoying their great outdoor garden for either, or both of the bands they have brought in for you!

Another thing to clarify for those still needing to register is fill the registration out on line at the website www.muscatineboatshow.com. We will then get back to you and direct you to send digital pictures of your boat and a little history. When you send pictures and history please send them to moritzdavid@stanleygroup.com.

Another thing that is happening is we have not given up with the Musco lighting of the river. We will be having some of the classic boats under the lights for a second parade under the massive Musco lights after the racing boats are done on Saturday evening. There will also be a classic boat parade between race boat sessions on Saturday afternoon. A bonus for Saturday evening is after the classic boat parade under the lights we will have the river with lights around the whole parade route and back to the harbor. After the boats are back in the harbor we will be having fireworks so be ready to see them over the river!

We are 1 week away from unveiling the shirt design for the 2008 Shirt design, stay tuned! We will also be doing some 100 Year Muscatine Power Boat Club Anniversary Shirts for the event and Bob's Crane Service Event Shirts. The 100 year Anniversary and Bob's Crane Service Shirts will only be available if you win one, but there will be multiple drawings. We will also have the event white polo shirts available also this year at the registration building in the Riverview Center.

Here is the polo shirt design and they are $20 thru XL and $22 for 2XL and larger. We will have a few of each size but when they are gone they are gone. All of the wearable's this year will only be available at the show and pre-orders will not be taken. They will be available beginning Saturday morning so get them early.

Remember, get your entries in now. Also get you rooms reserved from the website www.muscatineboatshow.com for reduced rates. Check out the other pages on the website for most other info you may have questions on. If there is anything else you need make sure you contact us.

Last but not least, pages 1-6 of the Boat Photo gallery on the website have been updated with narrative about some of the boats we have stories on from their owners. I do have stories for some of the rest, and am expecting others to follow suit. To use the boat gallery click on the picture of the boat you want more info on and another folder will open with more pictures of the same boat. Click on the picture and it will enlarge picture. Click on the word Muscatine Boat Gallery to return to the gallery home page!

More to follow . . . Dave

Things are moving right along for the 2008 event. The paper work is in place for the APBA sanction for vintage and testing, the snow is leaving the park, and the new lights are going in this week along the north edge of the park.

I would like to take a minute to let you know that Heartland Boating Magazine for March 2008 has also placed a story and pictures about last year's event. They did a really nice job and thank them for the support. Below is a list and cover of the boat magazines that we support and are really great publications. Classic Boating, The Rudder, Heartland Boating, and MidWest Life Outdoors have all done articles covering last years show so check them out.

The Antique Classic Boating Society (ACBS) has a publication for members called "The Rudder"

The American Power Boat Association (APBA) has their monthly magazine for members called "The Propeller"

The Antique Outboard Motor Club (AOMCI) has their member publication "The Antique Outboarder"

"Classic Boating" covers every type of classic boat there is and many events. The Wangard's do a great job.

The Century Boat Club has a quarterly after their name sake, "The Thoroughbred." Thomas Holm will be at the show representing the Century Boat Club with information on Century Boats.

The Chris Craft Boat Club also has a quarterly "The Brass Bell." My wife and I were at the Des Moines Boat Show with Bill Bassler, the editor of the magazine, and after seeing the magazine we are members of the Chris Craft Boat Club.

"Heartland Boating" is a quality magazine and Lee Braf and staff cover everything regarding boating in the Heartland.

"Vintage Boat Life" is also a quality vintage boat magazine and I did not put it last for any reason. The guy on the cover is Ron Hooker with Sugar Loaf from Indiana who was at our event last year.

Any of the above periodicals you can't go wrong and many have had our ads in place this spring to help spread the word.

Well there are many surprises this year for the event. Believe me when I say it is as much of a joy to work together with the people of Muscatine to put the event together for you as to have everyone here for the event. We love to work together as a community and you will see that for yourself. We are also accessible by 4 lanes from all directions for a central place for everybody to see boats you normally do not see at your local shows. For those of you who can attest from last year, we are within 4.5 hrs from St Louis and Minneapolis, 3 hrs from Omaha and Madison, 2.5 hrs from Des Moines, and Chicago. I challenge you to pack the park this year. We will not run out of space. The whole park covers 30 acres and runs parallel with the Mississippi. It is newly paved for those who want static displays and the grass areas of the park are shaded if you want to park your boat in the shade. The harbor has 120 slips. We are up to around 80 entries right now. Next news update we will show you the 2008 Shirt design. We will also be doing some 100 Year Muscatine Power Boat Club Anniversary Shirts for the event and Bob's Crane Service Event Shirts. The 100 year Anniversary and Bob's Crane Service Shirts will only be available if you win one, but there will be multiple drawings. We will also have the event white polo shirts available also this year at the registration building in the Riverview Center.

Here is the polo shirt design and they are $20 thru XL and $22 for 2XL and larger. We will have a few of each size but when they are gone they are gone.

Get your entries in now. The 90th, 100th, 110th entries and so on will each get a free event shirt. Also get you rooms reserved from the website www.muscatineboatshow.com for reduced rates. Check out the maps on the website to see the layout of the park, the city, and where your motels and supply stores you may need. We also have a dining guide of where some of the locals like to go so you know the restaurants and their offerings. If there is anything you need make sure you reply to this e-mail and we will get you taken care of. Those who have been here before can support us in that we want you to enjoy yourself and make Muscatine your home for the weekend.

Stays tuned for more and watch the website this week as it will be getting updated shortly!

Where have I been? Work . . and then more work . We are really busy at work and our large project is just about out the door on March 12th. Sorry for the delay in posting of entries etc., but work comes first.

Man, things are exciting this year as far as the show. New boat entries and all of you that had a great time last year. My good friends at the Muscatine Power Boat Club are firing up for the celebration of their 100th Anniversary along with celebrating 100 years of boat racing on the Mighty Mississippi beginning right here at our waterfront park in 1908! Friday night they want to celebrate their 100th Anniversary with you by holding a Hog Roast and remember all of the home cooked food and the riverside sunsets at their clubhouse. They will be showing you the hospitality with our bus running to the hotels and the riverfront to make sure you can a shuttled ride to and from the event, or you can drive, but why not leave it to us!

Also check out the State of Iowa coming on board and placing our half page handouts in all of the Interstate Rest Areas and Welcome Centers across Iowa. The Iowa State Committee of Economic Development along with the Muscatine Sports Authority has been behind this event to help make it the place to be in May. As hard as they are working at helping us out, we will do all we can to keep making this your show. We have in place many of the improvements you have asked for from the 2007 show questionnaires and will also be having questionnaires this year to keep working to get this thing right!

Anyway this weather is for the birds and it is time to get out there and get to boating! Well, at least get working on a boat again for the show. My cold weather formula of CPES doesn't go this cold! Man won't it be nice to see the flowers of spring and I can't believe I am saying the smell of cut grass. I received an entry from Little Rock, Arkansas this morning from Bob Kanak, a displaced Iowan who has a sweet Chris Craft "High Expectations" he is bringing. I should have him bring it in an enclosed trailer with some canned Arkansas heat! This week is hopefully the break to spring temperatures.

This past weekend we were at the Des Moines Boat Show at the Iowa Center to meet people and invite them to the Muscatine event. A couple of weeks ago I received an e-mail from Dave and Beverly Werner asking if I knew of anyone who would be interested in a 1963 Watermouse Hydracart.

They sent some pictures and it looks like a scaled down version of one of the vintage hydroplanes that comes to Muscatine for the event. I asked other members of the Muscatine Boat Show Committee what they thought and ended up buying it to help advertise for the event. Plans are for a motorcycle or golf cart motor with a neutral so we can have a younger and shorter boy drive it in the boat parade between the racing boat sessions. Our friends at Sign Pro in Muscatine took liberties with it and here is the result. It will also receive a set of velocity stacks coming out of the hood and headers out the sides. We named it Ethel XXI and put Chap Hanley Jr. on both sides as the driver,(Chap Hanley was the World Champion Hydroplane Racer from Muscatine and Ethel was the name of his boats and his wife.)

Our website will be updated this week with the updated schedule of events and more in the gallery. For those of you who have not sent in your digital pictures of the boats in storage get them in so we can post to your names. For those of you who haven't entered yet get the entries in.

Again, spring is around the corner and I really want to get in the garage again to work on the Century, along with getting this event on the road. Warmer temps bring more anticipation and we won't let you down!

Strawberry Farm B and B will be supply a lovely package for boaters - $85.00 including full breakfasts. See the lodging page for complete details.

Well this e-mail is to give you a hand on how to use the website www.muscatineboatshow.com - When this event started we wanted to provide a website to answer questions for you and also stir interest. When the website comes up there is a bar about half way down the home page that comes up and says Home, Current News, Events, Registration, Maps/Lodging, Boats, Merchandise, Media/Links, Sponsors. If you click on any of them it will bring up a subpage. Check them out.

Home Page - What comes up on the website when you go there.

Current News - News Updates sent out via e-mail to those who have registered, or sent to the names in the Midwest my kids typed into the address book. Also any last minute items before the show will be posted here.

Events - This will have the Schedule of Events.

Registration - If you want to register and have not completed go to this page and type in the info asked and hit submit. We will contact you ASAP. If we don't reply within a day or two, then send the same information to (moritzdavid@stanleygroup.com). We will acknowledge receipt of your registration and ask you to send digital pictures of your boat, or boats, and a little about the boat to post in the boat gallery on the website. We are also going to put together a program of this year's boats at the site in a glossy multipage program to help you remember who was there etc.

Maps/Lodging - We have aerial maps of the park itself, the city, roads to the park, I think about every map you will need is on the website with main stores etc. We have also placed a dining guide on it and just click on the title "Dining Guide" and you will get an open and honest opinion of where we like to go in town and what kind of food so you feel like a local. If you need Lodging well you are here we have attached website links to all of the motels in the city along with the reduced rates we have secured if you tell them you are with the boat show and the rate listed on the website.

Boats - This is the Boat Gallery where we post pictures we have received from those pre-registered and also pictures from the 2007 show etc. Go to the top or bottom of the pages and you will see there are many pages to go through. If you click on the picture of any of the files it will open more pictures of the boat entered and a little about them in the text blocks. To go back to the main gallery just click on the Muscatine Boat Gallery and it will take you back. Again, there are multiple pages and just click to go ahead or back in the pages to where you want.

Merchandise - There is currently a DVD from last years show that KTRP video had done for last years event if you are interested. It is sold independent of us but a good DVD. Shortly we will post the 2008 Shirt design which will be available at the show. We will not be doing pre-orders this year but will have shirts available at the event. These are T-Shirts in short or long sleeve and when they are gone they are gone so buy them early. We do also have polo shirts that all of the volunteers wear that are available and we will have a few available on Saturday morning at the start of the event.

Media/Links - These are websites that we like in both the boat racing and classic boating worlds so check them out. For those of you who may want a copy of Classic Boating Magazine coverage of the event they had in the Nov/Dec 2007 issue, or the ACBS Rudder magazine coverage from this past fall the links are listed. The event will also be in the Heartland Boating Magazine in the upcoming issue for those of you who receive this publication. Otherwise watch for it on your newsstand.

Sponsors - This is a tribute page to those that make this happen for you. This event would never happen without them. Last year I truly come to find out what quality sponsors are and in Muscatine they are the best.

With that use the website, check it often as we will continually update. If something is not working please let us know by sending me an e-mail and our website guru will get it fixed.

Also you see we have 2 posters this year, orange and blue. Why? It gives us a chance to show more of the boats that were here in last year's event and that makes more people happy. A win/win scenario.

Anyway this should clear up some of the questions I have had from people wanting to register so just thought we would address for all.

Stay tuned . . . .

A news update like this is hard to bring you, but I look at it as a challenge for the future. This event has been more then we could have ever hoped so we will just keep making it better. This year we were working on bringing you APBA boat racing under the lights but it will have to wait another year. This one issue is not that big of a deal, and we will still work on it for the future. We have just received word from the APBA that the lighting of the river by Musco for the night time session of the2008 event for the racing boats will have to wait.

Hi Dave:

After a thorough review by APBA as well as the insurance company, our decision is that we are unable to consider a night-time event at this time at this site.

We trust you can continue with your plans to have a successful event during day-light hours.

Gloria J. Urbin

Executive Director

American Power Boat Association

Now, I wanted to show you the same e-mail that we were notified with as it is directly from the APBA. I do not want anybody to be upset with the APBA, and I support them in their decision. It is the APBA's responsibility to make sure all criteria has been fully evaluated and their events are handled to meet their safety requirements. With us trying to be the first to light a boat race course, we are chartering unknown waters for the APBA. We will not be able to accomplish it this year but will continue to work with the APBA to see if we can have an opportunity to stage the Musco lighting trucks and evaluate an event under the lights in the future. Again, the APBA has not said "never", just not at this time.

The only lighting company that will be able to pull this off is Musco, as they have successfully provided lighting at Daytona, Charlotte, and all of the other major NASCAR speedways. We do have the lighting computations completed with Musco for the Muscatine course and Musco has given us their full support for the event.

Since the event is held in May and the sunset is not until approx. 8:30 pm the amount of time under the lights would have been about an hour and a half. We will have to move the race boats just a little earlier into the afternoon. This will still work since the show boats can still have a parade and have time on the river to do some boating.

	Also this year we have 2 posters, one blue and one orange. Why? Why not? It makes it easier to show more of your boats to help promote the event. We have race boats, fiberglass, wood, aluminum classics, and cars.

The website photo gallery also has also been straightened out after some problems with the gallery software. We will continue to add the captions etc. as time allows.

So where are we now . . . . Full steam ahead! The days are getting longer, people are getting cabin fever, and it is time to begin thinking about warmer weather and boating. Please send your entries in now and remember the event is free to the public and participants. We want to get as many people pre-entered as possible and get the pictures in the gallery etc. There will be prizes given to the 70th, 80th, 90th, and every 10th entry thereafter. Last year there were free event shirts for the prize winners. We are working to continue to develop this show to be the central place to be to kick-off your 2008 boating season. Tell your friends and get your entries in now by going to the "Registration" tab at www.muscatineboatshow.com

If anybody has any questions contact me directly at moritzdavid@stanleygroup.com

For everyone who has registered and watching the website photo gallery on the website please have patience. We plan on getting the bugs worked out by the weekend and will start posting all of the entries to this point.

Well, who ordered this below zero weather? Here is the river this past weekend in Muscatine thanks to Lane Ingram. For those of you from the south this is what -10 degrees below zero looks like.

The snow and cold is here but the planning for the 2008 "That Was Then, This Is Now" Boat Show and Racing Boat Exhibitions is well under way.

This past weekend Bob Wayt and Pat Hatfield, Steve and Pam Workman, and my wife and I, were at the Quad City Boat Show to promote the Muscatine event. Steve and Pam brought their 1964 Correct Craft American Skier, Bob and Pat had the 1978 Biesmeyer drag boat, and we brought our 1937 Miller. We had a great time and handed out over 2,500 handouts to people. Many were at the Muscatine 2007 event and are coming back or said they missed last year and will be coming this year. We also had about 5 more entries just from the show.

A little guy who wanted his picture in Steve and Pam's Correct Craft at the QC Boat Show.

Bob and Steve a minute before the doors opened. An event like this brings many stories from people who also had boats of the past. We had a great time just visiting with the people who came to the show.

So what else is new, Steve and Joan Schomburg are coming from St Joseph, MO for all the Speedliner owners. Steve is Cliff Schomburg's son,. and along with Cliff built many a Speedliner boat from the time the boat company was formed. They will be bringing the last Speedliner built by Cliff and Steve together along with other Speedliner history. If you own a Speedliner they can tell you the day it was made and where it was shipped to and what it had for a motor if they packaged it that way. All you need is your numbers from the boat nameplate.

Kevin Klosterman from Ohio will be in attendance this year with one of his racing boats. Kevin said Ken Warby will be with him to help with Kevin's boat. For those of you who don't know Ken Warby do a search on the internet. You will find that Ken is the World Water Speed Record Holder for the fastest boat on water at over 317mph. with the Spirit of Australia. I hope it works out that Ken can make it with Kevin and take time to sign some autographs for people.

We have had many new entries this year along with those who also came to our first event last year. We will do all we can to improve from year to year to make Muscatine your place to start the boating season.

We appreciate all the kind words about last year's event and want to make this event a central place for many of you to see each other from year to year. Thanks to all of you who have been putting up posters and handing out cards for the event. For others of you who have volunteered to take posters around along with handouts the rest of them will be sent out this week. If you are also interested in receiving some posters and will post them around let me know, it helps to get the word out to "Pack the Park".

Also for the AOMCI guys, the Hawkeye Chapter will be having a show at Kennedy Marine in Cedar Rapids on Feb 9th so support their event.

Again, get your registrations in now and we will post them on the website as we receive them. Also book your rooms early by going to the Maps/Lodging page on the website www.muscatineboatshow.com to receive the reduced boat show participant rates.

This boat is a birdhouse that will never hang outside and was made by someone I believe from the Muscatine Power Boat Club. The boat has pins for the shift controller, a wing nut on a screw for the anchor, fire extinguisher, bow light, flag, transom light, exhaust, named Lucy, it is really neat. It is even a planked boat since it has 4 planks that form the outside.

Whoever you are, you have made my Christmas! The element of surprise brings back the days of being a kid and Santa Claus coming to town. It was really special!

I will have it at the boat show for anyone interested in how it was made. It is NOT for sale. It was from Santa!

Also for those of you who have sent in entries and they haven't been posted to the Photo Gallery on the website, have patience. The gallery hosting service is having some issues they need to resolve . . . quickly.

Last but not least we have a display this coming weekend at the Quad City Boat Show. We are located in the north building and have 3 boats, Bob Wayt has his drag boat, Steve and Pam Workman have their 1964 Correct Craft American Skier, and we have our 1937 Miller.

Keep your entries coming, and get you rooms soon! To register simply go to the website www.muscatineboatshow.com and go to the Registration tab. Fill out the blanks and we will get right back to you. We already have some nice boats entered . . . soon they will be seen on the website boat gallery.