 "The visitors bureau never tried to measure the number of tourists drawn to Evansville by the boat races" --- Laura Libs, marketing and communications manager with the Evansville Convention & Visitors Bureau  Courtesy of the Evansville Courier and Press
Thunder on the Ohio silenced Boat races on Evansville riverfront canceled this year
By Dan Shaw
Originally published 11:28 p.m., July 14, 2010
Updated 12:11 a.m., July 15, 2010
Representatives of Evansville's tourism industry say it's too early to tell if the decision to cancel this year's Thunder on the Ohio boat races will harm business greatly.
Performers, work crews and spectators who came to Evansville for the event in 2009 all stayed at the Holiday Inn & Conference Center on U.S. 41, said Alexa Nickolick-Stahl, who is director of operations for the company that manages the hotel. She said organizers even arranged for a shuttle to take them to and from the Riverfront, where the races occurred.
 "It was a nice boost to business," she said. "It was a great group of people to work with, and we had a lot of fun."
Nickolick-Stahl declined to estimate how the decision to cancel the boat races would affect business. She said she hadn't had time early Wednesday to call the organizers of the event and didn't want to form an opinion until she could get more information.
Tom Sawyer, chairman of Thunder on the Ohio, announced earlier this week that the organization could not afford to put on the boat races this year.
The substitute will be an event called ThunderFest, which will last from Aug. 20 to Aug. 22 and feature a singer who has yet to be named.
Sawyer said he can understand why the boat races were good for the tourism industry last year. Sixteen boats participated, and each was manned by a seven-member crew on average, he said.
Sawyer said he thinks ThunderFest will still draw a good crowd, especially if organizers are able to sign a contract with the proposed headliner, whom he called "a certifiable star."
Sawyer said ThunderFest's success in bringing that singer to Evansville will largely determine whether the event will be a boon to the local tourism industry.
"We expect our headliner to attract a large regional audience," he said. "There will be people staying overnight for this event."
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The winner of the 2009 Unlimited hydroplane series "fan favorite award" is sitting out the Tri-Cities race -- and the rest of this season.
Video story from WFIE-TV of Wednesday's 5PM newscast about no boat racing at the former Thunder on the Ohio.