The Tri-State Boat & Sport Show, a late-winter tradition for 51 years in Evansville, has been cancelled, the apparent victim of a tough economy.
The Boat Show, which was sponsored by the Outboard Boating Club (OBC) of Evansville, Inc., was set to run the weekend of Feb. 28-29 and March 1 at Roberts Stadium but ran afoul of faltering booth sales.
"We had a bunch of major vendors cancel in December," said former OBC president Brian Massey. "Some people in the club were worried we wouldn't be able to cover expenses."
The OBC, which donates all proceeds of the show to charity, was unable to negotiate a reduced rental, which annually runs about "$35,000 to $40,000" according to Massey.
"There was another thing about the stadium," said Massey. "We'd pay that high rent and then still had to give another $1 a head for everybody who came through the turnstiles. That never sat well with me."
Bill Smith, 78, OBC's oldest member, helped organize some of the earliest shows.
He said the club has reserved dates at the stadium for the next two years in hopes the economy will improve.
The 2010 dates are Feb. 26-28. The 2011 dates are Feb. 25-27.
That the show won't go on this year, he said, was "a low blow."
Lynn Massey, who always participated as a vendor through his business, Lynn's West Side Marine, said the cancellation wasn't a surprise.
"We knew there were problems when they lost some booths," said Massey.
"They tried to get a reduced rate from the city for the stadium and couldn't and then they looked at some other options. Friday they told me it was cancelled.
"People are disappointed. It gave vendors a lot of exposure to people they don't normally see. Hopefully this will be a one-year thing."
Massey said the OBC tried to find an alternative site, but it didn't work out.
"We were going to Washington Square Mall," he said. "The price was right and we were going to have free admission, but we just didn't sell enough booth space.
"It's been tough financially. The OBC lost a lot of money in its mutual fund and then we had this. Hopefully, our second annual Poker Run this summer will help make up a little for this. We'll still do things for our charities, just not as much.
"It's sad. I know things are tough, but Ritzy's Fantasy of Lights had a good year and I think we could've weathered this," he said.
"Regardless, on behalf of the OBC I want to thank our vendors and the public who made the Boat Show a success for over 50 years."