Bradenton Area River Regatta draws tens of thousands in fourth year

Crowds were already estimated well into the tens of thousands by noon on Saturday as the Formula Powerboat Super League Formula 2 boat racing kicked into high gear.

The Green Bridge was lined end to end by the time the boats started qualifying at 10 a.m.

“It’s just awesome,” said Bradenton Mayor Wayne Poston.

Within an hour of race time, crowds were three-to-five deep on the bridge and Riverwalk in Bradenton had few open spaces remaining along the waterfront. Land activities were in full swing, including helicopter tours around the skies over Bradenton and Palmetto.

Kelly Mohanaendelamien climbed out with her 9-year-old daughter and 11-year-old son, who since as a young boy has wanted to be a pilot.

Saturday was his first ride and only confirmed his life’s desire.

“It was his first time up, so it was great for him to see what it’s actually like,” she said. “My daughter has some sensory issues, so I was a little nervous about the noise and wind and it did bother her at first. But she settled down and had a wonderful time. The pilot smiled at her and said, ‘I bet she’s going to want to go right back up.’ And not five minutes later she said, ‘I want to go again.’”

Though the crowds were surging early, law enforcement officials reported no issues, although traffic into downtown was heavy throughout the day. In Palmetto, crowds packed into Riverside Park West for the new Ferris wheel attraction, and vendors lined the way with food and games.

“Our goal was to grow this each year and make it bigger and better,” said Mike Fetchko, ISM USA president and event organizer. “The bigger it gets each year, the better it’s only going to get. I can’t thank the two cities and Manatee County for all they do to make this happen, as well as our sponsors. We had a vision when this idea first came up four years ago, and there’s nothing quite like seeing that vision come true. Seeing all the smiles on the faces of all these families is why I do what I do.”

The fourth annual Bradenton Area River Regatta officially kicked off at 8 a.m. Saturday morning with a horn blast that sent hundreds of runners from downtown Bradenton toward the Green Bridge as part of the Saint Stephen’s 5K race and 1K Fun Run.

Exuberant Falcons from the Saint Stephen’s Episcopal School stood atop the Green Bridge, along with the school’s mascot, Freddy the Falcon, cheering on the runners. On the other side, as many as 50 people were already setting up chairs for the Formula 2 Powerboat Super League Series, still hours away from getting underway.

Among the first arrivals was Carol Kleutsen, who secured her favorite viewing spot for the fourth straight year.

“We always get here shortly after 8 a.m.,” Kleutsen said. “We find our spot, head out for breakfast and come right back. The people that come to these races are always really nice and we certainly don’t mind being out in the fresh air and this event just gets better every year. It’s just a good day to have some family fun and there is so much to do for everyone.”

Reeling them in

Right about the time the middle group of runners was reaching Palmetto, about 50 youngsters were tossing fishing lines into the water off the Palmetto fishing pier as part of the annual Hernando DeSoto Historical Society’s Little Anglers Fishing Tourney.

“In our first 10 minutes, the kids have already caught about 10 fish,” said Scott Toedman, a historical society member and organizer of the fishing tournament.

Discount Tackle provides all the fishing gear each year, which the kids get to take home with them. Tropicana supplies all of the trophies.

Six-year-old Kylie received a participation medal last year after coming up empty. The medal hangs on her wall now. “But I want to hang it on a trophy this year,” she said.

Debbie Miller-Phillips said Kylie has been talking about the fishing tournament for a solid month.

“We kept checking the papers and finally saw all the information last month and said, ‘Yes!’ She’s been talking about it every since,” said Miller-Phillips. Kylie was on her way to grabbing one of those trophies with at least one fish caught. Not far down from Kylie was another 6-year-old, Logan Cole, who was pulling up his first fish of the day just 15 minutes into the two-hour tournament.

“It’s probably the biggest fish I ever caught,” Cole said with a smile.

Dad had to remind him that the 10-inch catfish he caught a few months back was a little bigger, but that didn’t stop Cole from smiling or getting his line quickly back in the water.

“I like it,” he said.

Tails were waggin’

The All-Star Stunt Dog Show was a hit with regatta guests. More than 200 puppy lovers turned out to one of the numerous afternoon shows and watched as Chris Perondi and Abby Cline demonstrated just what a trained dog could do with some “doggone fun.”

Perondi, who has been training dogs since 1996 using positive reinforcement and toys, brought out a handful of pups who wowed the crowd. Spitfire Spinelli is a 9-year-old dog that has become the show’s No. 1 star, Perondi said.

Her tricks included jumping rope, circling Perondi’s legs backwards and moon walking to her favorite song, Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean.”

The final act of the stunt show was Little Cricket, a tiny pug and Boston terrier mix that proved she could hang with the big dogs. She jumped through Cline’s hoops, balanced on Cline’s back and balanced a handstand on her front paws in Cline’s outstretched palm.

Dueling drummers

Later in the day, the Green Bridge hosted the first ever Battle of the Bridge drumline. Bands from some of Manatee County’s high schools marched along the bridge, stopping in the middle to take turns performing sets.

While the bands squared off, the U.S. Coast Guard made an appearance above the Manatee River. Coast Guardsmen flew in on a helicopter to demonstrate different methods of water rescue using a dummy.

When the Coast Guard finished its demo, the bands aligned for a joint performance involving all five schools playing in unison.

The regatta to a close with a bang or two thanks to a 10-minute fireworks show put on by Zambelli International. After the display’s grand finale, an announcer asked watchers to come back next year for another day packed with local entertainment opportunities.

This story was originally published February 3, 2018 at 10:33 AM with the headline "Bradenton Area River Regatta draws tens of thousands in fourth year."