On July 4th, a fun and creative event called the “River Raft Regatta” returned to Gatlinburg Tennessee. Participants enter in their own floatable creations or purchase rubber ducks to race down the Little Pigeon River. This year’s River Raft Regatta had many very creative floats that spoke of the love of Gatlinburg, but there was one float in particular that screamed, “Amazing!” This mind-blowing float brought Ober Gatlinburg’s Ski Area & Amusement Park to life and covered all the fun things Ober has to offer.
This colorful float was created by Tracey Burns and her two boys ages 12 and 15. It took them, off and on, SIX MONTHS to build! As the miniature Ober Gatlinburg made its way down the Little Pigeon River, Tracey and her family cheered it on from the sidelines.
The Burns family is from Greenville, SC, and had been participating in the River Raft Regatta off and on for 3 years. Both this year’s float and their float from 2017, won ‘Most Creative’. As you can see in the above picture, they’ve really done an outstanding job!
When we asked Tracey why she was inspired to create a float of Ober Gatlinburg, she explained how there are plenty of activities to do on the mountain. Her boys especially love the Ski Mountain Coaster and ride it just about every time they come up!
Tracey and her family plan to compete in next year’s River Raft Regatta and have already begun building their float! Each year they’ve competed, they realized how competitive it can get so she says this year’s float is TOP SECRET. We may not know what work of art they plan to build, but we are certainly expecting something spectacular and are VERY excited to see it!
Thank you, Tracey and family, for showing everyone how much fun you can have on our mountain! Good luck in next year’s River Raft Regatta!
