Evening star., 1939-06-11
Poughkeepsie Reve|s
When Regatta Day
Throngs Town
Goes Collegiate, Crowds
Burs, Dances All Night
In Big Celebration
BY DILLON GRAHAM,

POUGHKEEPSIE, N. Y, June 10.
-Poughkeepsie has been the heart
of American rowing since a torrid
day in 1865, when 10000 rabid fans
lined the Hudson River banks to
watch a local amateur four-oared
crew defeat the Brooklyn Biglins
with a disputed decision that re-
manned unsettled until two men were
violently killed.
That lusty regatta and it's two
days of ribald revelry was the FORE
runner to the 44-year- intercol-
legiate eight-oared rowing cham
pionship that will be renewed June
II.
Around $4,000 spectators will crowd
into this river town on regatta day,
more than usual this year because
the race will be run on a Saturday
and because the East. which broke
the Far Vests domination a year
ago, has strong contenders again.
Start Near Roosevelt Home.
Some watchers will line the broad
4-mile course along the Hudson
from Krum Elbow. starting point
adjacent to President Roosevelt S
summer White House at Hyde Park
to the colorful flotilla of fag-be-
decked Government and private
craft which form a funnel at the
finish line near the city.
Other spectators will pay S. and
ride the observation train that
shuttles back and forth, following
the races. Some persons will be in
vited aboard Government or private
ships. A few individuals will pilot
their own little skiffs.
The city will be gayly decorated.
There'll be block dance regatta
night. Due to the Saturday date.
many persons are expected to make
a week end of the crew classic, with
railroad and boat excursions de-
signed to attract Worlds Fair visi-
tors.
The citvs business increases %
per cent on regatta day with hotels,
taxis and restaurants enjoying most
of it. The uptown merchants prac-
tically close shop during the regatta
afternoon. Roadhouses. bars and
similar celebrative spots figure on
regatta night even more than New
Years. Prices, they say, are not
hiked up.
City Goes Collegiate.
Poughkeepsle is turned over to
visiting alumni. students and sports
fans. The citys attire is gay and
collegiate, with streets and stores
plastered with pennant colors of the
competing crews. If the day is wet,
as during the last few weeks,
sou 'westers appear and rubber hats
are worn. Hotel lobbies are thronged
with crowds. Bars do a rushing
business. Scotch and soda is the
perennial regatta favorite alumni
drink. Students generally go for
the more economical beer.
BY early afternoon the city proper
Is deserted as the thousands stream
TO the water front. a 15-minute
walk. Many persons park cars on
craggv bluffs and listen to radio
broadcasts of the race until the
crews can be sighted with field
glasses.
High above the race. on a railroad
bridge. swings Mike Bogo. huge
bartender. who is the official regatta
bomb-shooter When the race is
done. Mike shoots the number of
bombs to correspond with the win
ming lane number and lowers
string OF college flags, hung in the
order of the finish.
Dance Till Dawn.
Regatta night is night of revelrv.
Bars are four-deep. Roadhouse res
ervatlons are sold out. Every hotel
room is party room. Dancing lasts
until dawn. Collegiate pranks are
numerous. The police are lenient.
Some of the crews come to Pough-
keepsie three weeks before the big
race and their time trials twice a
day interest the toWnsfolks almost
as much as the regatta itself. The
oarSmen are Quartered away from
the city. Seven sets of oarsmen,
coXsWains, coaches. managers, train
ers, riggers. shells and even some
private chefs are here this year, rep
resenting Washington, California.
Cornell, Navy, Columbia, Wisconsin
and Syracuse.
The varsity race is the big attrac-
ton, but there are junior varsity
and freshman races, too.