The Delta Wooden Boat Festival
Our first annual, Delta Wooden Boat Festival was held in September 2009, soon after taking over the Boat Yard and Shop facilities at Perry's Marina. The theme of the first years festival was of our grand reopening event for the Boat Shop, Yard and Marina. It was held September 26th and 27th 2009, which was the real begining of our business opening full time. It was a great success and there is a photo slide show on our marine portfolio of the event.
The second annual event this year, is again going to be the last weekend of September 25th and 26th. The theme of the of this years event will be on the "Journey of the Restororation Process". For folks that have been involved with wooden boats, the concept of ownership of these boats is not as much about the owner of a tangible item, but, more as a journey in a process, and not as a destination. It's a place that you never really ever get to, but a place that you are always striving to be. That's the fun of it!, and what has driven me into the business. I hope this years event will be a celebration of that journey for all of us that participate, and a chance to explain a little of it to our visitors that haven't experienced it. You don't have to get to the end of the process to enjoy the journey.
Plans for this years event will be updated here monthly as we confirm with vendors and guests for the second annual event.
Vendors from last year such as Kimberly Bowden of the Haggin Museum, with the Stephens Archives, has offered to sign on again for next years event which we greatly appreciate. The museum keeps all the archives from the Stephens Brothers which were built locally in Stockton Ca., and it is a great resource for all of us Stephens owners to trace the history of our boats.
For other vendors that would like to participate this year, we anticipate quite an expansion based on reviews of our first event. The vendors will brake down into three separate categories which are marine professionals, arts and crafts, and an antique marine swap meet.
The professionals need to be active in some manner in the wooden boat industry as subcontractors, suppliers, consultants or in some relative sales, legal, or insurance sectors of the industry.
For the arts and crafts section of the event we hope to attract artisans that have products and works of art with a marine theme. We will be displaying funiture pieces that are designed and fabricated on site for use in boat interiors or on deck.
Finally, the swap meet section of the event will be open to anyone with primarily antique marine items, or antiuqe boats that they would like to sell.
A minimal booth fee will be charged for all the vendors to cover advertising and miscellaneous expenses of our event. Participants of the fall festival, will either show there boats on trailers in our yard, or can cruise into the north or south harbors with prior reservations only. All participants and vendors must preregister with Gliedt's Boat Shop in advance of the event, there will be no last minute drop-ins, and we are currently taking early registrations for the ability to plan the event, as spaces are limited. Don't be afraid to participate if you don't feel the boat isn't "finished", very few ever are, and I am first in that line with mine which is on the hard! That's what this years theme is all about, the journey of the restoration process, and not the final destination!
Our turn out last year was great with the larger wooden motor yachts, and our hope for this next year is to increase participation with the runabout crowd, and trailered boats.
We are currently in the process of restoring the 1946, 26'-0" Simi Enclsed Chris Craft
"La Guardia", which will be on display at this years event. She was owned originally by the mayor of New York City in the late fourties.
For participants of this years event, a private party on Friday and Saturday evenings will be planned leading up to the event, and a sunday brunch will be held before our departures. Further details for this part of the event will be posted as we get closer to the event. The general public will be welcome to visit on the Saturday date with free admission from 9:00am to 5:00pm. Vendors will be on site with individule fees for food, drinks, and their arts and crafts.
I will be updating this section of the site monthly with updated plans for the
second annual event. For those that would like to help organize, or participate in the event, I can be contracted directly through the contact section of this site, by email or phone
at anytime.
Hope to see you there,
Tony Gliedt, owner
Gliedt's Boat Shop