Lodders Marine posted on November 14, 2009 09:05
The biggest boating event on the Ohio River every year is the WEBN Fireworks. If you’ve never been to the fireworks by boat, being right on the water adds a whole new dimension to one of the highlights of the boating season!
The WEBN Fireworks happen every year on Labor Day weekend. There will be close to 500,000 people on the banks
watching in addition to the thousands of boats on the water. Some of the boats start arriving a week early to stake their
claim on the best spots. We try to get our anchor set by noon and even then, it’s hard to find a spot.
By 6:00PM, there are so many boats you can walk from the bank to
the edge of the channel and not get your feet wet! The party
becomes official around 9:00PM when everybody tunes their radio
to WEBN. There’s the annual ritual to see who’s the loudest. The
people on the Ohio side will make noise, then the Kentucky side
and finally all the boaters on the water make their noise by cheering
and honking their horns.
Then you’ll hear the music start and you know the
fireworks are about to go off! The cool thing about this fireworks display is it is done in sync with a soundtrack put together by the crew at WEBN. It always
amazes me how well timed the fireworks are to the music. The actual show will last about a half hour capped off by a grand finale of fireworks like you’ve never
seen! My recommendation to avoid the crowds is to not only get there early, but be prepared to hang out for a little while after the show and let some of the
boats clear out before attempting the cruise back to port. And as always, take your time on the way back. Again, if you’ve never done the fireworks by boat,
make sure to try it sometime. There’s nothing like a day on the water with friends, family and fellow boaters capped off by one the the biggest and best
fireworks displays in the country!
