Beatty Memorial Hospice Regatta ready to set sail

by Mallory Zabel
Special Events Coordinator
Niagara Hospice
Grand Island Dispatch, July 3, 2009
Lewiston Porter Sentinel, July 4, 2009

Can they do it again?

For nine years, the Beatty family and numerous Jack Beatty Memorial Hospice Regatta committee members from Niagara County have raised more than $180,000 to date for Niagara Hospice, raising more than $180,000. This year, the two-day event will be held on Friday, July 10, and Saturday, July 11, at the Youngstown Yacht Club in the Village of Youngstown.

On Friday, the community is welcome to join hundreds of guests in a Niagara River cruise and clambake dinner. The day provides a three-hour cruise down the lower Niagara River on sailboats and motorboats of volunteer skippers who have been navigating the waters for many years and are committed to providing a memorable day on the water. The skippers not only donate their yachts, but also furnish drinks and hors d’oeuvres as well as share their knowledge of local history and sights with guests.

After enjoying a relaxing afternoon on the river, guests are invited back to the YYC to indulge in a clambake dinner and barbecue with the help of local restaurants, community service organizations and lots of dedicated volunteers. And the fun doesn’t stop there. A live band, Soul Committee, will entertain during dinner and through the night. A silent basket auction will run through the course of the day.

Participants in the river cruise and clambake leave with a story to tell and an excitement for next year’s event. “This has become one of the best parties of the summer,” said event Chairman Paul Beatty Jr. “As an avid boater, it’s always great to see a new guest experience boating for the first time, especially in such a beautiful area. We are looking forward to making year 10 another huge success.”

On Saturday, the YYC will hold the 2009 sailboat race in which all sailors are invited to compete and earn a chance to represent the northern Niagara community in May of 2010 at the National Hospice Regatta in Rochester. Niagara County placed third in the 2009 championships that took place June 5-7.

For more information or to purchase tickets for the Niagara River Cruise/Clambake Dinner or to become and event sponsor, visit www.niagarahospiceregatta.com or call Paul Beatty at 998-5777.

Hospice is specialized care for the terminally ill. Since 1988 Niagara Hospice has served more than 13,000 Niagara County residents and their families. For more information about Niagara Hospice, call 439-4417 or visit NiagaraHospice.org.