Please come to the 10th annual 2009 Geneva Lakes Antique and Classic Boat Show. The boat show is once again being held at the Abbey Resort & Spa in Fontana, WI, and promises to be a great event.
The weekend begins Friday morning at 9:00 am with a narrated lake front estate garden tour. Boaters will be inspired by the spectacular gardens at the lake.
A “Classic Picnic Buffet” will be served at Aurora University in the Village of Williams Bay at 1:15 pm. The Menu includes; Black Angus Burgers, All Beef Hot Dogs, Cole Slaw, Backed beans, Watermelon & Cookies.
Feel free to come to Aurora University by boat or car starting at 12:00 pm. Cash bar will be available. The highlight of the afternoon is a tour of the historic Yerkes Observatory! The tour is from 2:00 pm-3:00 pm. A trolley will shuttle from Aurora University to Yerkes leaving at 1:45 pm and arriving back at Aurora University at 3:15. Total cost for lunch, shuttle and tour is $35.00 per person.
Yerkes Observatory, which calls itself "the birthplace of modern astrophysics," is an astronomical observatory operated by the University of Chicago in Williams Bay. It was created in 1897 by George Ellery Hale and financed by Charles T. Yerkes. The observatory represented a shift in the thinking of observatories, from mere housing for a telescope and observer, to the modern concept of observation equipment integrated with laboratory space for physics and chemistry. A 102 cm (40 inch) refracting telescope built by the master optician Alvan Clark is located inside. It is the largest refracting telescope used for scientific research. For more information on the observatory visit their web site at http://astro.uchicago.edu/yerkes.
Come join us on Friday evening at Gordy’s Boat House Restaurant upstairs in the legendary Cobalt Lounge. Cash bar will open at 6:00 and be open all night. Dinner is “on your own”; Gordy’s wait staff will take dinner orders in the lounge starting at 7:00 pm. Separate checks will be available. Boat docking available. Entertainment will be provided by the Laura Bayliss Jazz Trio.
Boats will be on exhibit all day Saturday, beginning at 10:00 am. Be sure you have your boat in the water by then, as we expect a lot of spectators. Local vendors will have items on display, and the Blackhawk Chapter’s tent will once again offer t-shirts, posters and other items. The annual “starting of the engines” and boat parade will commence at 4:00 pm. Burnin’ Down The Docks”, a celebration of Blues, will be playing live at the waterfront from 12:00-4:00 both Saturday and Sunday.
Saturday evening’s dinner will be held at the Shore Room in the Abbey Resort. Cash bar will open at 6:30 , followed by a sit-down dinner of chicken or beef. Cost is $40 per person. This is an event you won’t want to miss, as boat show awards will be presented at Saturday evening’s dinner. Awards will be given in several categories including: Best Chris Craft; Best Century; Best Runabout; Best Utiltiy; Best Outboard Boat; Best Fiberglass Classic, the “Best of Show”; and, of course, the Blackhawk Sharpest Arrow Award.
Sunday, boats will be on exhibit again at 10 am. People’s Choice award and drawing winners announced at Blackhawk tent at 2 pm. Each year we have many spectators who attend the boat show on Sunday afternoon expecting to see the full line-up of boats on display. Therefore, participants are asked to leave their boats in the water (and land displays intact) on Sunday until 3:00 pm when the boat show officially ends.
Feel free to contact Matt Byrne with any questions at 630-802-2698 or by email at GLBS@blackhawkacbs.com.