Council approves antique boat show at the Weirs Sept. 12

LACONIA — Doug Zimmerman, president of the New England Chapter of the Antique and Classic Boat Society, requested dock space, at Weirs Beach, for an antique and classic boat show in September, from council on Monday night.

The nonprofit organization requested the use of 1,000 feet of dock space at the Weirs Beach Public Docks for 40 to 45 boats for a “mini boat show,” from 9 a.m. to noon, on Saturday, Sept. 12. When walking down the stairs, the boats will be lined up directly to the right.

“We're calling it a fall rendezvous. We're going to get our members to come by, maybe set up coffee and donuts for the guys that bring their boats,” Zimmerman said. “Hopefully some people from the public will be around to view the boats and then we're going to do a predetermined route around the lake as a parade type thing.”

The New England Chapter of the Antique and Classic Boat Society currently holds their annual boat show on the last Saturday in July, at the Wolfeboro Town Docks. This year’s show was July 25. The organization aims to educate, promote, and protect the heritage of boating, safety related to antique and classic boating, and encourage a love of historic boating.

The New England chapter has made financial contributions to the New Hampshire Boat Museum and The Antique and Classic Boat Society, both nonprofit organizations which work to provide scholarships, education, and facilities improvements, broadening boaters’ interests.

As their new president, Zimmerman is aiming to bring shows to different areas of the Lakes Region. He plans to bring the annual antique and classic boat show to various towns around Lake Winnipesaukee in the future, free for the public to view.

Zimmerman hopes the show at the Weirs will serve as a trial run.

“Our goal is to kind of learn this area again, so that we could potentially do a bigger show, because we feel like we've been only in one location for a long time. And if we want to get other people around the lake involved, we can go from Wolfeboro some years, to Meredith, and do a rotation over the years,” Zimmerman said.

“I’m on the lake pretty much every day of the week. This is on Sept. 12. A lot of the kids are back at school, a lot of the weekend warriors are back home. Just taking up those slips on that side, I really don’t think is going to make much of a difference,” said Mayor Mike Bordes. 

“I just wanted to make sure everybody’s aware of how much of the dock space will be consumed, so there’s no surprises at the city council meeting following, and you have complaints. So, at least you can make a decision, knowing that a greater majority of the dock will be used,” Councilor Steven Bogert (Ward 5) said.

“We always keep a certain amount of space open in Wolfeboro for the public to still use the docks,” Zimmerman said in response. “We can’t try to get 30 to 40 boats here, and then not have a place to tie them up, so it’s kind of like, we just need to make a reservation.”

Zimmerman presented the council with documents, including a drawing of the docks and the space the organization plans to use. “We haven't been to the Weirs in so long, and your docks are new. So, we thought that if we did, we’re calling it a mini show, that we could kind of test it out.”

Bordes moved to approve the request, and council voted unanimously to bring the New England Chapter of the Antique and Classic Boat Society show to the Weirs on Sept. 12.