Perfect Weather, Big Crowds Mark 54th Lock Haven Labor Day Regatta

By Christopher Miller

LOCK HAVEN – Thousands of people lined the J. Doyle Corman Amphitheater and were greeted with the delightful and tantalizing smells and sights along the midway last weekend for the 54th Annual Lock Haven Labor Day Regatta.

Racers from the east coast and midwest states took to the river for the American Power Boat Association sanctioned power boat racing which saw events all three days of the holiday weekend.

“This was the most ideal weather I have ever experienced for this event over Labor Day weekend,” an event-goer said. “I can’t believe the amazing turnout for the events.”

Over the weekend, the Lock Haven Regatta Foundation could be seen cooking up hot sausages, burgers, and hot dogs, while hundreds of their signature pizzas baked in the ovens.

Vendors offering things from custom tumblers, candles, books, and candies were lined up throughout Canal Park.

Hundreds of visitors packed the amphitheater Sunday night for the annual fireworks show. A slight chill in the air from the incoming fall months saw most people bundled in hoodies and long pants, a sight that is rarely witnessed in late-August.

On Monday, boats could be heard from as far away as Swissdale taking practice laps and preparing for the last day’s worth of racing events.

The annual Labor Day Regatta will be held on September 5-7 in 2026.

The Lock Haven Regatta Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization – contributions to which are tax deductible to the fullest extent permitted by law.