A special Commemoration at Lake Lure……….
Last year, at about this same time, the Town of Lake Lure called to see if our Chapter could return this year in the fall season. They felt that our Show could assist with an early start to the Town’s Centennial Celebration in 2027. We were delighted and ready to learn more.
Their request was for us to assist with a special Commemoration being held on September 30, 2026. It was important to be on that day to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of Impounding the Dam to fill Lake Lure on September 30th,1926.
The Town was also pleased that our Blue Ridge Chapter was celebrating our 40th Anniversary this year of being founded at Lake Lure in 1986.
We looked at how the show could be scheduled on this important date which was a Wednesday. At the close of the ceremony at Morse Park, they asked if we could have a few boats form a parade that would come by close to the Pavilion and then be escorted to cruise out on the Lake and up to the Dam.
They were delighted to learn that we would actually have 15 boats to form the Parade, with ages ranging from 1917 to 1986. Steve and John Heiderich arrived on Monday 9/28 for live Morning Show television interviews that would be early on Tuesday the 29th.
Mayor Carol Pritchett was the early bird at 5:30am. We were launching John’s Coronado and then positioned at the ramp for our interview. Mayor Pro-Tem / Commissioner Dave DiOrio followed for an additional segment. He was our contact throughout the planning, and his support was very sincerely appreciated along with Laura Krejic, the Communications Director for the Town
After the interviews, we set up for our Tuesday arrivals coming in that day to be ready for Wednesday morning’s events. We were grateful to everyone, and especially the fact that this would be a longer week for us all.
Our Captain’s Meeting was at 10:45am Wednesday morning and the ceremony would begin just across the Washburn Bay from our Pier at 11am. We planned to follow each other by oldest to newest, and that line up worked well. I must say it was quite warm that day with strong sunshine. As the program was finishing just after noon, we received a radio call to start. Our members were great, and we fell into line as planned while making a shallow “S” to come by close to the Pavilion for photos. This was purposely a slower cruise following Mr. DiOrio but enjoyable on such a pretty day. After following the shoreline and seeing the homes, we circled at the Dam for additional photos and video. We returned to our Pier, and several went back out at higher speeds to enjoy the lake and go to lunch. Perfect!
For Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday dinners we kept our choices local at the Smokehouse in Chimney Rock, then El Lago adjacent the Inn, and Thursday at La Strada. We felt that this was important to show our support for the local restaurants.
Additional BRC members arrived on Thursday and Friday and we had 22 boats registered. Jeff Buckley kindly brought 2 of his Hydroplanes on trailers affectionately called “Fire Breathers”. They were outstanding to see.
Our traditional dinner at the Beach Pavilion was enjoyable on Friday with a good amount of dancing and conversation. Our returning DJ was great.
The rain forecast called for storms on Saturday, so we had a decision to make about re-loading our boats and transitioning to a Trailer Show around the Inn. They were very supportive. The Captain’s consensus was to start at 7:30am and get everyone out and into the parking area. This was a very smooth and efficient process and well done by all. We found that even though the forecast kept changing, we had a great location to have many people stop in cars, trucks and motorcycles to walk through. The voting box was busy, and we also signed up 2 new members. Our Chapter Trailer has become part of the shows again and we had our shade tent, water and iced tea if desired.
Also on Saturday, Theresa and Sonya (with Lake Lure Tours) kindly planned a Ladies Outing with lunch and a walk in the town of Chimney Rock….and on to the Chimney Rock State Park where they enjoyed the amazing view. It was nice that the rain held off!
The Inn Front Porch was “relaxation central” as usual and always fun to enjoy.
Our Awards Dinner was in the Roosevelt Room at the Inn and was enjoyed by everyone. We started the evening by reading the original Meeting Minutes for our Chapter founding. It was a nice to take a step back in time and recognize that their commitment made this evening possible 40 years later.
Our Winners for Captain’s Choice were first time Show attendees Jim and Myrna Caudle and their guests.
Their beautiful boat is a Grew / Hutchinson 25’ Triple Utility named Royal Amber.
The history of Grew Boats and Hutchinson Boat Works represents two legendary names in classic North American boat building. While they operated as separate companies—Grew in Ontario, Canada, and Hutchinson in the Alexandria Bay area, New York—their paths directly crossed in the post-WWII era through a rare, highly celebrated collaboration.
Our People’s Choice Winner was Bryan and Sherry Wheeler for their outstanding 1937 Hacker-Craft 19’ Runabout – Resurrected
Hacker-Craft was founded by Naval Architect John L. Hacker in 1908. He invented the V-hull design and modern displacement -planning hulls. His designs and construction are iconic. Bryan put in over 1,200 hours in this restoration and re-powering. He also pulled his first Barefoot skier on Lake Hartwell with Resurrected!
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We were especially grateful to Sonya Ledford-Pitts, the General Manager of Lake Lure Tours, and the entire staff of the 1927 Inn. Sonya was pivotal in assisting us with the planning and follow through of this special event, and the Ladies Outing. Christen Hurse was the same for the hotel and was great to work with.
The staff of the Moose & Goose at the Inn were both welcoming and outstanding throughout our stay!
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Looking forward into 2027, the Inn will soon be undergoing renovations. As such, we are not sure if can return to our traditional Spring dates in the 3rd weekend of May. We may an option to return in the early fall once again. It’s also a pleasant time of the year.
Please enjoy the photo link below and our best to everyone!
Steve and John
