Regatta memorable despite weather, race cancellation

Mother Nature was not on our side during the Feb. 6 River Regatta, but those who worked under those tents and the ones who came to the event made light of all the rain.

Parents with their hoodies pulled over their heads watched their 3-year-old try to hit a golf ball into the hole. They were happy when he finally hit the ball. It didn't go far, but the little guy did hit the golf ball. Perseverance.

The three musketeers under the Pittsburg Pirates tent. Wow, what can I say. Great team work, knowledgeable and happy-go-lucky attitudes. They taught me something. The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League team, not a minor one! All these years I thought they were a minor! Now everyone knows how much I know about baseball, but I learned something that day.

Then there was the tent I was working at, the Manatee County Sheriff's Office Crime Prevention. We turned a little boy's frown into a smile when we gave him a little sheriff's car.

We gave several people cover when there was a steady rain and the best is when people would ask when will the rain stop? We would send them over to the BayNews Weather/News tent where Trey Paul was. "He is the man to talk to." I even got the USF group to go over and have their picture taken with him. Trey Paul is good people. I guess it has to do with that little bit of West Virginia blood he has in him.

Everyone was happy. Yes, it was disappointing that the Regatta was cancelled due to the weather, but the spirit of those who worked it and attended did not have their spirit damped by the rain. It was a great day!

Elizabeth M. Sullivan

East Manatee

This story was originally published February 13, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Regatta memorable despite weather, race cancellation ."