(Arnolds Park)– High water levels on the Iowa Great Lakes have claimed what’s become a very popular event every summer on the waterfront at the Arnolds Park Amusement Park.
Organizers of the Antique and Classic Wooden Boat Show that was scheduled for Saturday, July 30th, announced this (Mon.) afternoon this year’s event has been called off.
Mike Hagan says it was a difficult decision to make, but they thought it was in the best interest of everyone involved. He says the dock posts no longer stick up very high, which would make it difficult to tie up the boats. In addition, he says the classic boats, some of them very valuable, could be damaged simply by being pushed together at docks due to wave action.
In addition, Hagan says roughly half the local people that participate in the show have already pulled their boats out of the lake.
Even though the show wasn’t scheduled until July 30th, Hagan says they thought it was important to make the decision now, instead of waiting until the last minute. He says many exhibitors travel a great distance and that they wanted to give them ample notice.
It may seem eerily ironic, but Hagan says the only other time they had to cancel the show was during the flood in the summer of 1993.
