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All Quiet on the Waterfront: Marietta Riverfront Roar racing event will not return

By Evan Bevins 3 min read

MARIETTA -- After more than two decades as a summertime staple in the Pioneer City, the Marietta Riverfront Roar has run out of gas.

Event Chairman Rick Smith announced this week that the annual powerboat races and accompanying concert, fireworks and other activities will not return in 2024. This year's event cost more to put on than it made, he said.

"Our expenses have been more than our revenue, and that model can't continue in any business," he said.

Smith said the 2023 event cost $80,000 to produce - $65,000 in cash paid out and an estimated $10,000 to $15,000 in in-kind contributions of things like golf carts, tractors and fire department services. But the businesses and organizations that provide those could ask to be compensated in future events, he said.

"We simply cannot find enough revenue in the city to produce an $80,000 event year after year," Smith said.

The main revenue sources are sponsorships, food vendor payments and beer sales. While beer sales were down slightly in 2023 compared to 2022, the others have been "consistent and dependable," Smith said. But they have not increased in many years, while costs have risen.

The Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area allowing alcoholic beverages to be carried openly in portions of downtown Marietta is not believed to have affected the event's beer sales, Smith said.

Similarly, while the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused the Roar to miss 2020 and 2021, may have had some impact, Smith doesn't believe it had "a significant effect." No spectators or vendors indicated they weren't participating as a result, he said.

Races took place on Saturdays and Sundays, with the weekend kicking off in conjunction with a Marietta Main Street First Friday event.

"We're sad to see any festival leave the area," said Jen Tinkler, executive director of Marietta Main Street. "We're hoping we can maybe pick up another festival in the future to take its place."

Powerboat drivers have voted Marietta their favorite site on the American Powerboat Nationals circuit multiple times over the years.

"That's been one of the best stops on the tour from the time I was a racer to the time I was a promoter," said Dan Bunting, managing director of the circuit.

Bunting said he's disappointed Marietta will no longer be a part of the circuit but he understands the circumstances. Stops have decreased from about 10 before COVID to perhaps three for 2024.

"The fans in Marietta have been ... very supportive," Bunting said. "We can't thank them (the Roar committee) enough for all the stuff they do for us."

One of the planned races next year is in Ravenswood, W.Va., in conjunction with the Ohio River Festival, although that has not been finalized, he said.

In accordance with Ohio law, the Roar, a nonprofit business, will begin filling out paperwork to dissolve, Smith said in a news release. That will include selling assets like tents, trailers and other goods.

Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com.

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