This summer Mayor Earnie Porta will be hosting historic tours of Occoquan River by kayak. The kayak tours will begin at 11:00 a.m. at Occoquan Regional Park (kayaks available for rent – $10/per).

1st and 3rd Saturday from May 5th to October 20th at 11 am. Cost: $10 per person. Please call Occoquan Regional Park at 703-690-2121 to confirm each week.

With Spring right around the corner, it’s time for the crazies to plunge into the freezing cold Potomac River. The 10th Annual Polar Plunge to benefit Virginia Special Olympics takes place today, Saturday February 25th, at Tim’s Rivershore.

The river will be rocking with live music, contests, prizes and more! Visit Tim’s for more information.

The 3rd Annual Occoquan River Spring Clean-Up with take place on Saturday, April 14th from 9:00am to 3:00pm.

The Prince William Trails and Stream Coalition is looking for experienced kayakers and canoeists to go for a paddle and pickup trash and debris along the way. Shuttle service for kayakers and canoeists will be available on a scheduled basis on both the Prince William and Fairfax sides of the river.

Register now and join your neighbors and volunteers in sprucing up the shoreline in town! Meet at Town Hall wearing sturdy shoes. Dumpsters, toilet facilities, trash bags, gloves and refreshments will be provided.

Calling all Civil War junkies! As Occoquan continues to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, a very special event has been planned for February 25, 2012.

The festivities begin at Town Hall at 10:30am when Robert Alton, the author of Strategm 1861, will lecture on the early history of the Civil War in northern Virginia.

At 11:30am, Brady’s Michigan Sharpshooters will reenact the events of February 3, 1862, when Companies H & I of the 3rd Michigan Infantry exchanged fire with Confederate troops drilling in Occoquan under the command of Wade Hampton.

Check out the Occoquan Historical Society website for additional details.

Red Bull National Wake 2.0, a professional wakeboarding competition, will take place July 23rd at National Harbor. This very cool event will feature professional wakeboarders Brian Grubb and JD Webb, along with a crew of local riders. It seems that all-star Parks Bonifay will be M.I.A. from this year’s competition.

These tremendous water athletes will be flying off of custom made features built especially for National Harbor. Towed by Red Bull Waverunners, the riders will put on quite a show for National Harbor visitors. There will be a post event autograph signing and give-a-ways throughout the day.

Check out the Facebook page here and the official event page here.

When: Saturday, July 23, 2011 @ 11:00 AM – 5:30 PM
Where: National Harbor, Maryland

Aquapalooza 2011, the world’s largest boating event, will once again have an outpost in Washington DC, along the Potomac River. The floating party is sponsored by the Prince William Marina. Following last year’s lead, the merry mayhem will take place at Tim’s Rivershore in Dumfries, VA (AKA Tim’s 1).

By road, access will be limited (you will have to shuttle to Tim’s from a parking area). By water, just pull on up! All of the fun’s on the water, so bring your beach towels, sunscreen, water and snacks! And get ready to listen to some country music.

Have fun, be safe, see you at Aquapalooza 2011!

Summer is just around the bend, time to sit back and unwind (once your hull is waxed). To get things crackin’ this year, the Potomac River Party Boaters Association is organizing the3rd Annual Spring Dust-Off during the afternoon/evening of Saturday, May 7th.

This year, the floatilla will take place off the sandy beach at Belmont Bay.

Last year it was a great time (despite the rain delay). This year, the forecast looks sunny! All boats are welcome.

Join the best Facebook group for Potomac River boaters and connect with local boaters! The mission of the Potomac River Party Boaters Association is to promote the tradition and sport of responsibly enjoying the Potomac River each and every summer.

The river will be rocking with live music, contests, prizes and more! Visit Tim’s for more information.

Very cool event coming to National Harbor this week: a professional wakeboarding competition sponsored by Red Bull. Professional Wakeboarders Brian Grubb, Parks Bonifay, JD Webb, and Adam Errington will fly, soar and wow the crowd with wild airs and double overhead sprays of the Potomac River.

These tremendous water athletes will be flying off of custom made features built especially for National Harbor. Towed by Red Bull Waverunners, Grub, Bonifay, Webb and Errington, along with some local wakeboarders, will put on quite a show for National Harbor visitors.

When: Saturday, July 31, 2010 @ 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM
Where: National Harbor, Maryland

By road, access will be limited (you will have to shuttle to Tim’s from a parking area). By water, just pull on up! All of the fun’s on the water, so bring your beach towels, sunscreen, water and snacks! If you need to launch your boat, see this information. Here is the official event registration page.

One thing that isn’t changing this year is a country music headlining act. Matt Stillwell will take the stage at the peak of the party. Stillwell’s recent single “Drunk Enough” just reached #25 on the iTunes Country Album Chart. The rest of the musical line-up has yet to be announced.

Have fun, be safe, see you at Aquapalooza 2010!

There has been lots of speculation this year about whether or not Sea Ray and/or Prince William Marina would host Aquapalooza once again on the Potomac River (after lots of weather mayhem last year and the year before).

Turns out the answer is…YES! Aquapalooza 2010 is on, with a change in venue. This year the shenanigans will take place at Tim’s Rivershore (aka Tim’s I) in Dumfries, just a stone’s throw from Occoquan. I’ll post more details as they become available.

It was freezing outside but that didn’t stop people from taking the plunge! All donations benefit the Special Olympics of Virginia.

Summer is officially over but the spirit must live on. This weekend features a classic battle between two events along the Potomac river. One is old, one is new. Both will probably be a good time. The conditions on the ground will be a little bit sloppy with rain on Saturday afternoon.

The 2009 Occoquan Fall Arts & Crafts Show begins on Saturday, September 26 at 10AM and runs through Sunday at 5PM. This is an all-ages event held twice per year in the streets of Occoquan. The fair of craftsmen and merchants is usually entertaining and crowded. Carnival food abounds. You can buy fried Oreos and shoelace french fries and then finish it off with a banana split. The craft show website has details.

Das Best Oktoberfest also takes place on Saturday 28 nautical miles north at National Harbor. The events runs from 2PM – 8PM on Saturday. The main attraction is “beer, brats & bands”. Tickets are $30 at the door and they include a souvenir tasting mug and 6 beer tokens. There is a beer belly competition and classic local band Love Seed Mama Jump will rock out on stage at 2PM.

This is a tough call but personally, I think Das Best Oktoberfest is the way to go. There are a couple of reasons why. First, shopping in the rain is a drag whereas drinking six german beers in the rain sounds like it could be fun. Also, National Harbor has excellent marina services. Its fairly easy to make a reservation and the staff is on point. One the other hand, there really is no way to reach the craft fair by boat. Perhaps the town should consider an effort to monetize the fallow Gas Light docks on craft fair weekends. Have a fun and safe weekend!

Prince William Marine is hosting Aquapalooza this year at Tim’s II at Fairview Beach on the Potomac River. I’m looking forward to a good party this year, albeit with a country twang. Headlining the Occoquan-Washington DC Aquapalooza this year will be country singer Daryle Singletary and Thunder 104.5 will be onsite broadcasting live.

Daryle Singletary is a crooner that topped the country charts with a few hits way back in 1995. In February 2009, Singletary released a new single, “Love You With the Lights On”. The single was the lead-off single to a new album, Rockin’ in the Country, released in June 2009. Give his new album a listen:

Here’s the rest of the musical line-up for the weekend: Key West Band, the Wild Bunch, Borrowed Time Band, Drivin’ South Band and the Darby Brothers. I haven’t seen any of these guys before, leave a comment if you know who they are.

The FAQ put together by PW Marine is full of helpful tips, if you have not attended Aquapalooza previously. Check out the map of Fairview Beach below. If you will be arriving by boat (the preferred method of transport), check out our nautical map of the Potomac River to chart your route.

Take your cameras, remember to take some pictures and send us your best, we’ll post them after the main event! We’ll be there partying it up, see you there!

AquaPalooza, the World’s Largest Boating Party, brought to you by Sea Ray, is right around the corner and ready to rock your summer! Boaters and non-boaters alike are invited to take a break and join us at the biggest bash on water – AquaPalooza 2009.

This year’s Signature Event, featuring country-music superstar Alan Jackson, runs from July 24th to 26th at Lake Martin, Alabama. The big event near Occoquan will take place at Tim’s II, along Fairview Beach.

Find your local event and register online at www.AquaPalooza.com today and receive two free t-shirts (while supplies last).

Don’t miss the biggest and best boating celebration of the year! I hope we see you on the water