Winona Steamboat Days, Winona, Minnesota
Brianna Johnson competing in the 500cc Hydroplane class in the US Title Series, Championship Powerboat Race, one of several events part of the annual Steamboat Days Festival
Winona's annual community festival, Steamboat Days, occurs during the third week in June. over a 5 day period. Chock full of events, including daily musical entertainment on the outdoor stage, a 5K walk/run, community theater productions, a craft show, kids fishing tournament, softball tournament, tennis tournament, a classic & custom car show, and a championship power boat race. Jo and I caught a portion of Satuday's events during the festival in 2011.
The carnival midway offered lots of fun, especially for the kiddies: cotton candy, ferris wheel, merry go round, train rides, car rides, boats, and food fun.
We got to the car show just a little too late to see the main show but a few nice show pieces were still there.
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It was great day for a powerboat race. Partly cloudy, mild temperature, a little bit of haze in the air, and no chop on the water. In the foregrouind of the picture of a racer pit area is a 350cc hydro (M50) run by Ike Yoder and a 125cc runabout (V26) run by Erin Barth. |
Brianna Johnson of Bloomington, Minnesota was another female competitor. She earned a third place overall finish in the 500cc Hydroplane class.
Her boat ran very smoothly yet it was apparent it was slower in the straight-aways than many of her competitors. In talking to her Mom Barb I discovered why. She is currently running a 375cc engine, getting familiar with the boat and racing in the 500cc class before "graduating" to a bigger engine. |