Preparation for the Show is continuous; we have a committee that begins the planning process six months in advance. Meetings start with the Mayor, City Manager, Chief of Police and the Chamber of Commerce. At this meeting, we establish the parameters for the Show and the dates during which the support structure is put into effect. The Show attracts 50,000 to 75,000 people annually and requires the support of the entire city. We establish the traffic flow and identify all the unused space that can be used for parking. We offer Mount Dora High School an opportunity to work all the parking areas and we arrange for busses to bring people from the remote lots. In addition to the boating event, city merchants agree to close the streets and move their businesses out into them for a “Jewels and Junk” weekend. This is very popular and well received by the general public.

Early on, we establish the Marquee Class Boat, the poster and T-shirt design, and we redesign our registration form based on the Show format. Each year we extend an invitation to the Amphi-car organization and they have their annual convention and show in concert with us. In addition, we invite the Florida Woodie Car Club to join the event and exhibit their many beautiful cars. Also included is the Florida Antique Outboard Club and they provide an unbelievable display of vintage engines and boats. To provide enough lead-time for the registration forms, we aim to mail registration forms the second week in January. From January to March the pace is very hectic and every day we encounter new and unforeseen problems. As mentioned, we use the committee method and it works very well.

Our committees are organized as follows: Reception, Registration, Public Affairs, Setup, Tear Down, Tractors and Golf Carts, Flea Market, Corporate Sponsors, Launch Crew, Dockmaster, Ships Store, Land Display, Membership, Picnic, Banquet Coordinator, Awards, Captains’ Party, and Food Vendors. All these committees are staffed with Chapter members, volunteers and many good friends who are willing to work.

Our Show starts on Thursday at 1p.m. On Tuesday, the city workers pressure wash all the docks and clean up the beach. On Wednesday we take control of the area and, assisted by the Police Department, cordon it off with tape, roadblocks and signs. We tag all the docks with numbers, string the tie lines, set up all the tents and banners and move in all the chairs and tables for the vendors. Electricity and phone service are distributed to our corporate sponsors. Trash dumpsters and port-a-lets are also pre-positioned. I operate on two radios, one for our internal communications and the other for the police net. I work very closely with the Police Department and we have early meetings every morning to coordinate the daily activities. The Fire Department and Medical Services are on site for the entire event. I have a PA system that works very well and can be heard throughout the area in the event of weather warnings or emergencies.

We are in position and ready to receive boaters at 7a.m. on Thursday. A number of flea market vendors have traveled for several days and are anxious to set up early on Thursday. We have 200-250 participants each year and it takes over a week to stuff all the registration bags and get everything to our reception station. We use a large covered trailer to house the registration and we locate it at the entrance to our Show.
The procedure is: follow the traffic signs to registration; at registration you receive your dock assignment and trailer tag; you proceed to the launch ramp and are met by our launch crew. We help you prepare for launch, assist in backing into the water and once safely in the water, we unhook your trailer and one of our tractor drivers will store it in a remote lot. Someone from the dock crew will assist in helping you dock your boat. We also provide this service when you depart. Once in the water, its time to have fun and we stress having fun at using your boat. Our Show is not judged and we encourage you to explore the lakes and the famous Dora Canal.

Thursday afternoon the City of Mount Dora invites all the participants to an after-hours event. Friday is a big day; there’s a big influx of boats, and people from the river cruise are anxious to get into the water. We host a picnic that involves traveling in your boat from one lake to another. Once back at the docks, our Chapter hosts a “Captains’ Party” that is free for all participants to thank you for supporting our event.

Saturday morning is the opening ceremony and Saturday afternoon we have the Amphi-car parade and boat building for children. We usually have 14-16 Amphi-cars and they parade through the town and splash-in in sequence. Saturday night is the dinner banquet and awards ceremony. I mentioned earlier that our Show is non-judged; however, our corporate sponsors give out several awards. Sunday we have church services in a quiet, remote location in the comfort and luxury of our own boats. Sunday afternoon all the local Chapter members bring their boats to the Show and offer rides to spectators. Sunday evening, most of the crowd has dissipated and Monday morning the tear down crew arrives and the river cruise heads north, signaling the end of the Mount Dora Show.

I cannot over emphasize the magnitude of this event. The Show footprint is over a quarter mile from one end to the other. There is literally something for every one of all ages: race boats, rowboats, canoes, model boats, amphib airplanes, home-made ice cream, and rides aboard an historic Steam Driven Engine.

Like any big event, it’s all about the people who are willing to get involved and make it work. Our Chapter is very special and we are blessed with people who are willing to go the extra mile to make our Show a great event. My emphasis is on having fun and enjoying what you are doing and we do seem to enjoy what we are doing. I am very grateful to our membership and I sincerely appreciate everyone’s untiring effort to show ACBS what a great chapter we have in Florida.