The NBC news team at
KXAN in Austin, TX is reporting that Sea Ray has chosen
Lake Travis to be the 2010 AquaPalooza. The exact location on the lake and musical artists have not been announced as they are still being planned.
Local Sea Ray dealer
Sail & Ski Center recently captured the TOP SPOT, #1 on
Boating Industry Magazine's 2009 Top 100 Dealers in North America. Sail & Ski's Rod Malone knew he would get attention with this honor that his Austin boat dealership just received. That award went beyond customers, peaking the interest of organizers of
Sea Ray for the AquaPalooza Signature Event. Sea Ray chose Lake Travis after hearing where Sail & Ski Center is based.
Last summer's event at
Lake Martin, Alabama drew a reported 30,000 people and 4,000 boats. The Lake Martin area had record fuel sales, thousands of hotel room bookings, and an average of $100 in grocery sales per boat. At Lake Travis, Malone looking forward to a similar success.
Lake Travis really needs an event like this. During the last two years Lake Travis lost a lot of water due to drought. By the end of last summer, boaters had access to only one ramp for the entire lake. During the worst of the drought the water level had fallen 31 feet below full pool. This past fall (2009) there was enough rainfall from El Nino to recover water which is now only 11 feet down from full pool .
Laura Mitchell, President of the Lake Travis Chamber of Commerce said that they have their fingers crossed that El Nino is still around until the event in July. Texas has had good rain in recent months and they hope that will continue. Mitchell reported that during the drought, surrounding communities saw their sales tax revenues decrease. "Businesses have been waiting for a boost like this" says Mitchell.
Another concern beyond the water is the security needed for the event. In a stakeholder meeting, local police, the Travis County Sheriff's Office, the county parks division, Lower Colorado River Authority, even private security have concerns. The are on board and just need to plan the details.
For those who can’t make it to Lake Travis, Sea Ray dealerships around the world will transform more than 100 additional locations into official AquaPalooza event sites. Most of the events will take place during the last two weekends in July.
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