According to Tom Abbett, chairman of the Best Dam Boat Parade Committee, there will be a variety of state-registered motorized vessels, from personal watercraft (life jackets required) up to 50-foot cruisers. Boats will be grouped together according to size as they make their way along the parade route (no paddle boats, canoes or kayaks will be allowed to participate).
"You're going to see all types of cool boats in this fun and safe parade," Abbett says. "We have received a regatta permit from the Missouri Water Patrol and we will make sure that this is well-coordinated, efficient and, most importantly, safe. We have pre-determined milling stations as well as organized entry and exit plans for those boats participating to make the process smooth, easy and enjoyable."
Abbett stresses that this is a boat parade and not a boat race. "We will have a no wake zone from the 19 mile marker to the 26 mile marker and boats will travel at a fast idle speed of no more than 5 to 8 miles per hour."
Registration for the parade costs $50 per boat and includes an official "Guinness World Records Attempt" flag to fly on each boat during the parade, an official numbered wrist band and a commemorative t-shirt marking the occasion. Parade organizers encourage those interested in participating to register early at www.BestDamBirthdayBash.com/boat-parade/. Boat parade registration closes at 12 noon on June 11.
"To make sure we break the record, we have to have every participant pre-register for the parade to ensure they are officially counted by the Guinness adjudicators," Abbett says. "We want to have as many boats as possible in the parade, so we welcome everyone to join us, but only boats that have been pre-registered can participate. You can't show up on the day of the event and think that you can just hop in the parade line because that won't count."
Abbett also ads that this is not a political parade and asks participants to please refrain from flying "statement" flags so that the official "Guinness World Record Attempt" flags and participant t-shirts can be clearly seen by the adjudicators.
The world record attempt at the Lake of the Ozarks was the brainchild of Mary Kay Von Brendel, director of operations for the Ozarks Amphitheater and also one of the organizers of the Best Dam Birthday Bash.
"The Lake of the Ozarks is one of the most renowned boating lakes in the country so it makes perfect sense to attempt a world-record boat parade here," Von Brendel says. "A world record attempt is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity so it's a great way to bring attention to the Lake area and the Best Dam Birthday Bash festivities. It also gives us a very good chance to bring the world record to the United States."