Beginning May 30th, the Wayzata Bay Center will host Mahogany Bay’s Mahogany Bay Vintage Speedboat Gallery. This unique exhibit is free and open to the public. It will feature sixteen exquisite, classic wood boats, many exhibited for the first time. The Speedboat Gallery will be made up both of boats that are part of the Mahogany Bay permanent collection and investment quality family heirloom boats that will be offered for sale. Included in the exhibition are the international iconic works of boat building art from Chris-Craft, Ditchburn, Dodge, Hacker Craft, and Riva. All of the boats have been carefully aged and painstakingly restored to their original splendor by Mahogany Bay’s specially trained craftsmen.
The Mahogany Bay Vintage Speedboat Gallery at the Bay Center will be the largest display of classic wooden boats in the Metropolitan area in over 25 years. Also, throughout the summer additional rare and unique boats will be rotated through the Gallery so there will always be something new to see and experience. It is estimated that throughout the run of the exhibition, over 25 different historic boats will be displayed at the Bay Center.
The boats will be on display during the summer of 2009 in the concourse of the Bay Center. A Mahogany Bay Lifestyle store will also be open in the Bay Center concurrent with the exhibition, offering home furnishings and art with historic and nautical themes.
To welcome the classic boats to Wayzata, the city has organized a parade down Lake Street to begin at 11:30 am Thursday, May 21st. The parade will consist of 16 classic wooden boats, Wayzata’s Fire Trucks, a musical calliope, and local dignitaries. Included in the parade will be the 1937 54-foot John L Hacker designed commuter which graced the cover of Rudder magazine in October 1937. Built at an original cost equivalent to 100 brand new automobiles; P.O.S.H. (Port Out, Starboard Home) has been described by wood boat enthusiasts as a National Treasure. The parade will run along Lake Street and end at the Bay Center where the boats will be on display Thursday afternoon in the Bay Center parking lot. Following the parade, the boats will begin to be installed in the Bay Center with the exhibit opening to the public on May 30th.
When asked to describe the significance of the Mahogany Bay Vintage Speedboat Gallery exhibit, Todd Warner, CEO & Founder of Mahogany Bay, stated, “Many residents of the Lake Minnetonka area are not aware of the region’s and Wayzata’s strong ties to boat building and classic wooden boats. The Minnetonka Boat Works, located where the current Boat Works building stands on Lake Street, was a very important boat builder during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. The Boat Works built both commercial and pleasure craft and earned a national reputation for quality and innovation. When boat building operations ceased, the Boat Works building, for many years, housed a boat dealership that sold many of the classic Chris Craft wooden boats that have been restored and cruise Lake Minnetonka today. We’re excited to share the classic beauty of wood boats and the rich history of this area’s ties to boat building and boating.“ Mahogany Bay President, Dave Bortner, stated, “There will be something of interest in this exhibit for boat enthusiasts and families alike, and we encourage all to come and experience what boating was like when art and style was as important as functionality.”
When asked about the Mahogany Bay Vintage Speedboat Gallery and summer plans at the Bay Center, Ed Briesemeister, Managing Director, commented, “We are very excited about welcoming the Mahogany Bay Vintage Speedboat Gallery to Wayzata Bay Center. There is nothing like this in Minnesota and it has already created a great deal of excitement in the Wayzata community, and we expect the exhibit to draw lots of visitors to downtown Wayzata over the summer. The Bay Center is also working closely with the historic Steamboat Minnehaha, displaying a handmade model of the wooden steamship and other historic artifacts along with schedule information. The Bay Center summer calendar is filled with special events and great savings. Mall merchants want to extend a special invitation to Wayzata and area residents to come see why we believe that `Summer Fun Starts` at the Bay Center.”
For more information on the Wayzata Bay Center Redevelopment, go to www.wayzatabaydevco.com or contact Ed Briesemeister at (763) 245-0962. For more information on the Mahogany Bay Vintage Speedboat Gallery Exhibit and Mahogany Bay, call (952) 495-0007 or go to www.mahoganybay.net.
The Wayzata Bay Center is a sponsor of Wayzata.com.
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