Mayor's Cup Festival, Regatta events announced

Carly Newton, The Press-Republican, Plattsburgh, N.Y.
·4 min read

Jun. 22—PLATTSBURGH — The crown jewel of the City of Plattsburgh's summer events is always the Mayor's Cup Regatta and Festival at the Plattsburgh City Beach.

This year, the event will take place on July 8 with many festivities occurring throughout the day.

FESTIVAL

Though Sue LeBlanc-Durocher, Sunrise Rotary Club's chair for the Mayor's Cup, said at a City Hall news conference Wednesday that the festivities will actually begin Friday night on July 7 at the Strand Center.

That evening, SugaRay Rayford will perform a concert at the Strand at 7:30 p.m.. Tickets purchased ahead of time will cost $20; tickets at the door will cost $25.

The concert was made possible through a partnership between the Sunrise Rotary Club, the Strand Center for the Arts and Plattsburgh Blues and Jazz.

All proceeds made from the event will go toward the Guy Hausrath Music in the Schools Program.

"There's nothing more important than children in music," LeBlanc-Durocher said Wednesday.

"If you get a chance (to go), it's gonna be a great party at the Strand to start the Mayor's Cup off on Friday night."

The official celebration of the Mayor's Cup will kick-off early July 8 at 7:30 a.m. with kayak rides and a 5K run/walk at 9:30 a.m.

Throughout the day, several events are scheduled for the whole family to enjoy including volleyball, sand sculpting, kids' fun run at 11 a.m. and much more.

The band Damaged Goods will be performing live at the beach in the afternoon and the City will be presenting a live concert on Saturday evening.

Free parking at the beach, courtesy of the Sunrise Rotary Club and the city will be available all day.

LeBlanc-Durocher praised the attendance at last year's festival at the beach, saying it had more than 1,000 participants.

"It's great to hear that ... Lifeguards were saying we've never had this many people here," she said.

"To have people, just one day, in our beautiful area to support, you know, what's happening and let people know that there's so much to offer in our community."

REGATTA

The biggest and most anticipated event of the day is the Regatta on Lake Champlain, which begins at 10 a.m.

Now in its 46th year, the Mayor's Cup Regatta includes competitive races in three divisions — Jib & Main, Racing, and Multihull with prizes for all divisions. The sailing courses are set the morning of the race in Cumberland Bay.

"Of course it depends a little bit on the wind conditions, but generally, the view from the City Marina is quite good," Kjell Dahlen, Sunrise Rotary Regatta Chair, said.

Dahlen said he expects the races to be finished before 4 p.m. that day.

Free registration for the event's race is now open and can be found online at www.mayorscup.com.

The races will end at various times throughout the afternoon and everyone is welcome to stop by the Naked Turtle at 1 Dock St. in Plattsburgh to congratulate all the captains and their crew.

Regatta awards will be presented at the restaurant at 6 p.m.

An additional race, the Valcour Race, will also be held the following day on Sunday, July 9, hosted by the Sunrise Rotary.

"It's less of a formal event than the Mayor's Cup so we are gonna start outside the City Marina, at the navigation mark there ... it wraps around Valcour Island and then back," Dahlen said.

"It seems to have quite an interest this year and I'm confident that this year that we will have a great weekend, and I expect to see the best sailors from Canada, Vermont and New York."

Originally hosted by the Valcour Sailing Club, the Valcour Race was immensely popular with the local sailing community in the 1970's and 1980's.

The Valcour Race will also be added to this year's Lake Champlain Championship Series (LCCS) and advance registration is required. However, all boats registered for the Mayor's Cup Regatta are automatically registered for the Valcour Race.

"We were delighted to see a significant increase in boating traffic on Lake Champlain last summer," Dahlen said, "and thought it might be exciting to bring back the Valcour Race and add another day of competitive sailing to this year's Mayor's Cup Regatta weekend."

Email: cnewton@pressrepublican.com

Twitter: CarlySNewton