Lakeside Wooden Boat Show

Blending the craftsmanship of the Lakeside Wooden Boat Show on Sunday, July 18 and the artistic expression of the Plein Air Art Festival from Friday-Sunday, July 14-16 creates one of Lakeside’s most unique weekends of the summer.

The Lakeside waterfront transforms into an outdoor showroom of classic wooden boats, as cruisers line the dock (weather permitting) and Hotel Lakeside lawn for the 20th Annual Lakeside Wooden Boat Show from 12-4 p.m.  

More than 70 wooden boats will be featured, classified by the year. The boats are categorized as historic (prior to 1918), antique (1919-1942), classic (1943-1975), early contemporary (1976-1984) and late contemporary (past 30 years). The sizes of the wooden boats featured range from 9-57 feet. 

For this year’s milestone Wooden Boat Show, the Sandusky Maritime Museum will be bringing their Mini Maritime Museum to Lakeside from Friday, July 14-Sunday, July 16. Exhibits, which will be under the tent on the Hotel Lakeside lawn, include Golden Age of Steamboats, Johnson’s Island, Commercial Shipping, Engines & Motors, Local Boatbuilding, Lyman Ideal and more. 

Guests will also be able to compete in a Battleship Lake Erie game, and kids can work on benches with boat model kits to take home.

Several plein air events will also take place on Sunday. The Plein Air Paintout will be held along the shoreline and in Bettinger Park until 12 p.m. 

Paintings that were completed by the plein air artists throughout the weekend will be available for purchase during the Wet Paint Sale, held at 1:30 p.m. south of the Pavilion. Purchases can be made with cash, check or credit card. 

Back by popular demand, Wally & The Beavs returns with live music, including cover songs by Chicago, Journey, Grand Funk Railroad, Elton John, The Blues Brothers and The Beatles from 12-4 p.m. at the Pavilion Jennings East Deck. 

For lunch, dine at one of Lakeside’s many restaurants or enjoy a variety of grilled options at the Wooden Boat Show Cookout from 12-3 p.m.

Register a Wooden Boat 

The show is coordinated by the Lakeside Wooden Boat Society. To register a wooden boat for free, contact coordinator Mame Drackett at mame@drackett.cc or 239-776-6205. 

Artist Registration
Plein Air artists are welcome to participate in the festival at no cost. Each artist will receive two Chautauqua Passes and one Auto Pass per day for access to the grounds. For questions, contact Steve Koenig at skoenig@lakesideohio.com or 419-798-4461, ext. 259.