Sandpoint, ID

It was the 6th annual wooden boat festival in Sandpoint and my family and I decided to take a stroll around the boardwalk to see the boats. We parked near the courthouse and walked down to the Sandpoint marina boardwalk. Alongside the old Powerhouse there were several vendors selling barbeque food, drinks and boating supplies, you could even get a safety check for your boat! A popular spot was the kid’s section where they could build their own miniaturized wooden boat for free. We walked along the boardwalk viewing the boats, with most of them being Chris Crafts ranging from the early 1920’s to 1980’s. Each boat had a sign telling you the year, make and owner. Some of the owners decorated their boats with newspaper clippings and magazines from the era that their boat was from and pictures of the boat being used. Several of the owners had opened up the engine compartments for a full viewing pleasure as well. The extra view was nice because I felt the boats were a little hard to see as they were tied up to the side of the boardwalk, so you mostly saw the top of the boats.

The boardwalk was filled with people, however all seemed very courteous when we pulled out our cameras to take a quick shot of the beautiful boats. Each boat was numbered and we found that at the end of the boardwalk a box with pieces of paper asking you to vote for the best in show. It was a hard choice since they were all so beautiful.

After we walked completely around the boardwalk we had about a half an hour before the boat parade started. We decided to walk down to the Cedar Street Bridge for some ice cream and water to cool us down before the parade started on this warm sunny day. The Cedar Street Bridge was an excellent place to watch the boat parade since the parade route headed north down the Sand Creek, which goes directly under the Cedar Street Bridge. The parade started at 3pm on Saturday with the Sandpoint Fire Dept boat leading the rest of the boats down the creek. The boat show was a lot of fun for everyone in our group and from what I saw, was a great event for all ages. The boat show it is an annual event and best of all is free to the public. The show is located in the Sandpoint Marina, off of Lake Street, near The Old Powerhouse building. Parking can be found on the streets around Lake Street, or in the Powerhouse parking lot.