BOAT SHOW BENEFITS YOUTH

Approximately 360 boats and 160 exhibitors are scheduled to be featured during this weekend’s 27th annual Seaside Boat Show at the Ocean City convention center. people feeling a bit of “cabin fever,” but there will be a summer-like atmosphere at the Ocean City convention center this weekend, as boating enthusiasts preview the latest in recreational vessels and accessories during the 27th annual Seaside Boat Show.

Sponsored by the Ocean City/Berlin Optimist Club, the three-day show will feature approximately 360 boats and 160 exhibitors from all along the East Coast and beyond. Cruisers, sportsfishing boats and performance vessels, among others, will be on display and visitors will have an opportunity to board most of them. Boats will also be for sale in the parking lot of the 40th Street venue.

Special sales and discounts will be offered by the exhibitors, according to show Chairman Charlie Dorman, and quite a few vessels are sold each year. Between 15,000 and 18,000 guests attend the event annually.

Visitors to the 2009 Seaside Boat Show examine the different vessels on display at the Ocean City convention center. Vendors do well during the resort show, Dorman said, which is why the Seaside Boat Show is one of the most popular exhibitions on the East Coast. Approximately one dozen companies have participated since the show’s inception.

Anything that is boatrelated will be available at the show. There will be exhibitors displaying electronics and gadgets, propellers, motors, canvas tops, boat lifts, boat docks and trailers, boat insurance and financing, safety programs, marine canvas covers, storage, repair, fishing tackle and boating magazines.

Dorman said the show also draws a large crowd because of its versatility.

“It’s a boat show that has everything,” he said. “Vendors have everything from clothes to boats. We have all kinds of things.”

Even those not in the market to purchase a boat or boating accessories can find something, including Girl Scout cookies, jewelry, footwear, baked goods, clothing, candles, spas, bath fixtures, artwork, crafts and personalized gifts.

Also sponsoring booths during the show will be several nonprofit organizations, including American Red Cross of the Lower Shore, Believe in Tomorrow, Delaware State Parks, Delmarva Cat Connection, Maryland Natural Resources Police, Safe Kid, Lower Shore Maryland Chapter, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, Ocean City/Berlin Optimists, OC Reef Foundation, Ocean City Power Squadron, Ocean City Elks and the Ocean City Parrothead Club.

Dorman said the event is geared toward the recreational boater, but it is also a show for the family. Proceeds from the exhibition will benefit youth programs within the local community, which is why the event is billed “the show that works for kids.”

There will be a drawing for $100,000 in the Optimist Club’s scholarship lottery on Sunday at 5 p.m. Only 1,500 tickets will be sold at $100 each. Tickets not sold prior to the show may be purchased at the convention center.

Each year, the local Optimists Club, which shares the International Optimist Club’s motto, “A friend of the youth,” raises funds to donate to area high school seniors through college scholarships.

During the past 21 years, nearly $2 million in college scholarships has been awarded to Worcester County graduates. Through the club’s program, more than 200 students have received college scholarships.

For the 23rd year, Scott and Mary McCurdy of North Bay Marine in Selbyville, Del., have donated the show’s “grand prize,” an 18-foot Sweetwater Pontoon boat with a 40-HP Honda motor. It will be given away on Sunday at the conclusion of the event.

Show hours are Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Daily admission costs $8 for adults and $1 for children. A three-day pass costs $15.