http://occoquanwaterfront.com

Visit Occoquan on Saturday, November 12, for a new event: Art on the Block from 2-6 p.m. See more than 60 artists exhibiting their works in four galleries on one block. There will be a reception at each of the galleries with many artists on hand to talk about their work. The four participating galleries are:

• The Artists’ Undertaking
• The Loft Gallery
• Art A La Cart
• Kelly’s Artbox

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

Per Mayor Porta:

Thanks to the efforts of the Prince William County/Manassas Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) and others, Occoquan is on the itinerary of the 2011 Tauck Civil War Event Tour. The tour, created by documentary filmmaker Ken Burns and collaborator Dayton Duncan, will take place from May 22-May 26. Other tour stops in Prince William will include Manassas National Battlefield Park and the Ben Lomond House.

The annual Parade of Lights boat parade will take place this weekend along the Old Town waterfront in Alexandria. Santa Claus will arrive at the docks by fireboat at 4PM. Later in the evening, at 6PM, roughly 50 powerboats and sailboats will parade down the Potomac River from Washington to Alexandria.

If you haven’t already winterized, time to deck out your boat in lights and holiday decorations!

The Occoquan River Festival will be reborn this Saturday in the Historic Town of Occoquan. This year the Occoquan Merchants Association will be hosting the event, which will include a petting zoo, pony rides, craft demonstrations, costumed reenactors, live music, sidewalk sales, boat tours, a Taste of Occoquan. The OMA website has complete details!

The 2010 Occoquan Spring Craft Fair will take place in Historic Occoquan, this weekend, June 5th & 6th. Per the semi-annual tradition, it will feature lots of greasy food and crafts from a wide array of local artists and vendors. The official craft show website has complete vendor details.

You can park in nearby commuter lots and take a shuttle to Occoquan for $4/person (kids free). If you don’t mind a little traffic, there is parking to be found in the neighborhoods surrounding the fair. The weather looks like its going to be great, stop by and check it out!

** Update: Due to the rainy forecast for this weekend, Spring Dust-Off is being moved to next weekend – Saturday, May 1st. Meet at Tim’s I before cruising over to the Mattawoman river to spend the night. **

Summertime, time to sit back and unwind (after you clean up your boat, of course). To get things crackin’ this year, the Potomac River Party Boaters Association is organizing the 2nd Annual Spring Dust-Off during the afternoon of Saturday, April 24th.

Last year it was a great time (Mother Nature cooperated). The plan is to tie up at Tim’s Rivershore and then cruise over to Mattawoman creek for the evening or until Sunday. All boats are welcome.

Join the best Facebook group for Potomac River boaters! Who knows, you might identify and connect with some fun local boaters. The mission of the Potomac River Party Boaters Association is to promote the tradition and sport of enjoying the Potomac River each and every summer.

** UPDATE ** Aquapalooza 2010 will be held on July 24th at Tim’s I in Dumfries.

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.

Once again, Tim’s Rivershore Restaurant & Crabhouse will host a Polar Plunge to benefit Special Olympics Virginia. The event will take place on February 27, 2010 from 10AM-2PM. The plunge will take place along the bank of the freezing Potomac River, pictured above.

The event will feature live music, a costume contest and tons of great prizes (plus, its for a great cause)! The plunger who raises the most money will receive a pair of roundtrip tickets on JetBlue Airways. For more info, check out Tim’s new website.

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