17th Annual Elk River Boat Party

Published 11:14 am Wednesday, July 5, 2023

Thunderstorms rolled through the Tennessee Valley over the weekend but they did not stop the 17th Annual Elk River Boat Party. As is often said, “The party must go on,” and that was the case Saturday at Anderson Creek on the Elk River.

The long running annual tradition is hosted each year by Mike and Bridgett Jackson. Boaters are welcome to attend the free event and enjoy a day on the water with friends while listening to great live music. This year, the party had a change as the band Sipsey Falls replaced Kosmic Mama, who had played since the annual event began.

As the party was scheduled to begin, dark clouds appeared to the west but the Jacksons remained optimistic and urged boaters to not rule the party out.

“Boaters were messaging me asking if the party was still on, and we said absolutely. We were really concerned, keeping an eye on the radar,” Bridgett said. “It rained pretty good, but we had tarps for the band. We were very fortunate that the band hung out, had some barbecue and started playing as soon as the weather started breaking.”

After the storms, people eventually started coming back into Anderson Creek and anchoring together. The weather that threatened to stop the party actually had the opposite affect.

“The sun came out, the temps dropped a little, and this party became probably the best party ever. Many boaters stated the weather actually made it bearable to sit out and enjoy the band,” Bridgett said.

The Jacksons gave out koozies and made sand buckets full of goodies for boats with kids. The buckets had summer favorites such as Cracker Jacks bubbles, and Blow Pops. Boaters received hand wipes, packs of garbage bags and red, white, and blue USA bracelets.

“We like to do little things to help boaters keep those kiddos happy. It was a very nice crowd, and the people were super nice and thanking us. The band, Sipsey Falls, was a huge hit, and they plan to return next year,” Bridgett said.

The Jacksons have already started preparations for next year’s event. The 18th Annual Elk River Boat Party is scheduled for July 6, 2024.