http://occoquanwaterfront.com

The 2009 Occoquan Spring Craft Fair will take place in Historic Occoquan, this weekend, June 6th & 7th. Per the semi-annual tradition, it will feature lots of greasy food and crafts from an array of artists and vendors.

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 2009 National Harbor Yacht Show is this weekend, May 29-31. Several local dealerships will be there displaying boats from 38 to 65 feet. These are the big dogs!  There will be lots of other vendors and wares on display as well.

Show Hours
Friday 12PM-9PM
Saturday 12PM-9PM
Sunday 12PM-6PM

Also this weekend, Tige Boats Pro Rider Daniel Watkins will be in Woodbridge, Virginia to lead a seminar on trick tips, boat setup, etc. For more info on giveaways and specials, click here.

Come and celebrate the good life on the Occoquan on Saturday, May 2nd at the Occoquan River Festival!

The festival includes a number of events in and around the town of Occoquan. The festival culminates with a firework extravaganza at 7:30, viewable from anywhere along the Occoquan River.

Here is a rundown of the planned events:

Occoquan Regional Park
Family Paddle Event (10:00AM – 1:00PM)
Exhibitor Area Open (10:00AM – 7:00PM)
Food Wagon (10:00AM – 7:00PM)
Family Bicycle Fun (12:00AM – 4:00PM)
Northern Virginia Ultimate Frisbee Championship (12:00PM – 7:00PM)

Historic Town of Occoquan (10:00AM – 7:00PM)
Farmers Market (8:00AM – 12:00PM)
Sidewalk Sale
Roaming Musicians
Craft Demonstrations
Historical Re-enactments
Carriage Rides
Children’s Activity Area
Ghost Walks
Taste of Occoquan with wine pairing samples at Madigan’s Restaurant

Prince William Marina (11:00AM – 5:00PM)
Children’s Inflatable Midway
Carnival Food Vendors

Belmont Bay (11:00AM – 5:00PM)
Wet & Wild Wheels Show (Boat, JetSki, ATV, Motorcycle)
DJ & Bud Booth
Steamed Crabs by Osprey’s Landing Restaurant
Vendor’s Area Open
Wine Tasting by Potomac Point Winery
Golf Putting Contest, Golf Clinics & Golf Pro-Shop Discounts at Osprey’s Landing Golf Course
Moon Bounce & Festival Concessions
Food by Dixie Bones
Bungee/Trampoline Rides (12:00 – 4:00)
Live Country-Rock Band at Village Green

Pavilion Workhouse Arts Center (10:00AM – 6:00PM)
Shops Open
Live Music on the Quad
Live fireworks concert (7:00PM – 8:30PM)

Vulcan Quarry (10:00AM – 4:00PM)
Public Tours

Rivergate (11:00AM – 4:00PM)
Classic Car Show

The Occoquan River Festival is the brainchild of the Occoquan River Communities organization. Click here to download event schedule PDF.

The largest boat show in the region takes place this weekend at the Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly, Virginia. If you’ve got spring on your mind, you should cruise by to check out the 85 exhibitors. Almost all of the major boat manufacturers will be represented.

Here are the boat show hours:
Friday, March 13, 2009:     12:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Saturday, March 14, 2009: 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Sunday, March 15, 2009:   11:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Prince William Marina and Hoffmaster’s Marina will both be onhand with large displays of new models. Boat manufacturers usually team up with dealers to offer special incentives during boat shows, so it can be a favorable time to buy a boat. If you are thinking about buying, maybe now is the time!

Polar Plunge 2009 will be held this Saturday at Tim’s Rivershore along the Potomac River. For the 16th year, this charity event will benefit Special Olympics Virginia. This is a crazy event where teams of people pay $100 to dive into an icy river and wade about 25′ towards a floating dock. There is a raucous party afterwards, of course.

In February, the Potomac is usually about 38 degrees fahrenheit. Ouch! Check out this flyer for more information about the plunge and how you can become freezin’ for a reason.

I know January is a silly time to write about the world’s largest boat party but I’m sick of winter!  I’m trying to forget about the snow & sleet that is slamming the DC area outside my window right now.  I’m thinking about hopping on my boat with a crew of my friends, sun on face, ice in cooler, firing up the engines and cruising to another awesome Aquapalooza!

Aquapalooza is a nationwide party thrown at over 140 locations each year.  Initiated in 2006, the party is sponsored by Sea Ray boats.  In 2007, the signature event was held on the Potomac River at Tim’s II.  In 2008, over 12,000 boats and 56,000 people attended. Check out the partying on the Potomac in this video:

http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=14697591

Sea Ray hasn’t updated the Aquapalooza website yet for 2009 but I did some sleuthing and found out that the party will span the July 25-26 weekend. The signature event will be held on Lake Martin in Alabama. In 2007, Taylor Swift was the headline act. In 2008 it was Everclear. I’m curious to hear who will be headlining this year.

Here is my prediction, Aquapalooza on the Potomac is going to be bigger than ever this year.  The last 2 years were huge and I think we have finally hit the tipping point.  Aquapalooza is a boating tradition that is new to Occoquan but here to stay!  See you in July!