Crowds pack the Bradenton Area River Regatta for boat races, music and family fun

Perched atop the Green Bridge overlooking the Manatee River first thing Saturday morning sat Kathy Sanders, who traveled from Kansas City to see the Bradenton Area River Regatta.

It’s been a good week for the Sanders family, still celebrating the Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory on Feb. 2, and now getting the chance to see boat races for the first time.

Sanders arrived before 9 a.m. and was among the first to secure a prime viewing area of the races, set to begin practice runs later that morning.

“I definitely wanted to get here early to get a prime spot and I had heard that parking can be a problem so that’s another reason we came early,” Sanders said. “This is our first time for boat races, so that’s exciting and I love these type events where you can meet new people.”

Indeed, crowds of people began showing up in large numbers and by 10 a.m. the Green Bridge went from barren to a solid wall of people seeking a view down onto the action. By 1 p.m. the crowds just continued to grow as all the land activities and music in Bradenton and Palmetto began.

Sarah Reynolds, who drove down from Tampa to catch all the fun with three little ones in tow. She corralled them all together at the food area in Palmetto as her husband Tom carried off too many chairs and blankets to count toward the concert area.

“Feel like a pack mule,” Tom Reynolds said. “But it’s worth the effort.”

Sarah just smiled, took a breath after getting the children seated and said, “We’ve come the past two years. We love that there is a choice in what kind of music is playing between here and Bradenton. Our taste runs more toward country, so this is where we like to set up.”

Formula 2 tunnel boat racing, as well as Jersey speed skiffs for the first time at the regatta, soon broke the morning quiet and the Manatee River buzzed with the sounds of roaring engines.

Wildlife spotters were in the air and along the bridge, ensuring marine lives came first and the occasional dolphin sighting did indeed cause the spotters to launch warning flares and the action came to a quick halt until the dolphins safely passed.

Well before all the action began, the day’s activities kicked off with the annual Hernando DeSoto Historical Society’s free Little Anglers Fishing Tourney.

Despite the morning starting off with cool temperatures, dozens of little anglers lined the Palmetto fishing pier.

“We love getting the kids out here catching fish and teaching them about fishing,” said DeSoto member Scott Toedman. “We have a pretty good turnout this year and probably got about 25 fish caught already. A lot of people are just so happy we are here and that we’re back and they look forward to every year.”

Heather Hodges brought her 2-year-old Lily to the tournament for the first time. Coming from a family that spends a lot of time fishing, Hodges said, “It’s good practice for her because we fish all the time. This is something different and I think it’s great that they do this for the kids to teach them about fishing, and patience.”

Ah, patience. A well-needed virtue at times when tossing a line in the water.

Not far away from Lily was a more experienced angler: 5-year-old Jensen.

Jensen already knows that size matters when it comes to fishing, especially in tournaments.

“I want to get a big fish every year because I want to get a big trophy,” Jensen said.

Stay with bradenton.com throughout the day and catch the latest updates here.

This story was originally published February 8, 2020 at 10:50 AM.