WILMINGTON — The Wilmington Boat Show became the first Wilmington event to bend to Hurricane Irma’s winds. The three-day event has now been reduced to two, organizers JBM & Associates announced Thursday.
“After thoughtful consideration and much concern for the welfare of this community, JBM’s vendors and their vendors’ customers and families, the difficult decision has been made to close the Wilmington Boat Show on Saturday evening, thus cancelling Sunday, Sept. 10,” a press release from the organization stated.
The boat show kicks off Thursday night with a VIP party, and was expected to run Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Friday and Saturday’s events are still scheduled at this time.
The latest track of the powerful Atlantic storm predicts it will travel across inland Georgia and South Carolina, according to the National Weather Service.
“The weather for Friday and Saturday will continue to be sunny and low 80s and, although the Sunday forecast continues to look good, we feel it is important for our vendors to be able to shut down early and move out Saturday evening to take care of any preparations that might be needed for the next week,” Jacqui Bomar, president and owner of JBM & Associates, said. “We continue to pray that Hurricane Irma will veer off out to sea and not impact any of the East Coast.
“We invite everyone to come out and join us on Friday and Saturday to enjoy the beautiful weather and all of the fun exciting events that will be happening those two days,” Bomar said.
Through the release, Bomar said she expects 15,000 people to attend the boat show, based on last year’s attendance.
The Wilmington Boat Show is sponsored by Yamaha Motor Corporation, as well as RAM Truck/Neuwirth Motors, Gulfstream Yachts, Allstate Boat Insurance, Maritime Insurance International and ILM. The VIP Party is sponsored by Epic Finance and Marathon Specialty Finance. Free water ferries that will bring people to events on both sides of the river are sponsored by Wilmington Water Tours.
The show will open at Noon on Friday, Sept. 8, and close at 6 p.m. and Saturday, Sept. 9, from 10 a.m. -6 p.m.
Tickets are available online. Show your Battleship NC tickets for $2 off boat show admissions. For information visit www.WilmingtonBoatShow.com.
Closings, cancellations and delays may be sent to [email protected].
